My family (Apurva,11 Bindi, Rajen and me-Anirudh, 13) are taking part in a gruelling
cycling expedition in India from Agra to Jaipur. We are going to be cycling 300km starting at the Taj Mahal. It will be over five days, starting on the 29th December 2008, with varying distances each day depending on the terrain.
For more information about our itinerary visit : http://www.cyclingforcharity.com/about.itin.php
Apurva and I have been cycling since we could walk. We enjoy it a lot and decided to take part in this trip to raise money for charity and also to take on a challenge.
We are very privileged here in Britain because we have a good education, medical facilities, clean water, video games etc. But we have to remember that many people in the world don't have access to any education or the bare essentials of life such as food and water. As a family we feel strongly that education is one of the key ways to break free from this cycle of poverty.
The fundraiser is for a UK-based charity called Veerayatan, U.K. - http://www.cyclingforcharity.com/charities.php. They, in turn will channel 100% of the money they receive to three charities that have been targeted for this event - two are UK-based, and one is based in India:
Naomi House Children's Hospice (http://www.naomihouse.org.uk/) which helps children with life limiting conditions.
Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity (https://www.raysofsunshine.org.uk) which also helps children and their families, who have life limiting diseases.
Veerayatan (http://www.veerayatan.org) which is focused on helping improve rural education in some of the poorests parts of India such as Bihar and Gujarat.
Your generous contribution will help us to support this cause.
We have been training for about four months now, both cycling on the roads as well as building stamina in the gym. It has become harder and harder to train as the weather has been so cold recently. So we have been stuck in the gym practicing on the bikes there.
We have found it hard to go out cycling because the weather has been so wet recently. 
A couple of sundays ago we went out on a 30km practice ride with a group of other fund-raisers. It was gruelling and wet but we managed to finish.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Veerayatan UK gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid
, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
The event was the most amazing thing we have ever done. We saw mustard fields and deserts. We met lots of interesting people and made lots of new friends.
A GREAT BIG THANK-YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED US!
