In the summer of 2009 the five of us discussed the idea of utilising our extended holiday between university years to do something more worthwhile than shopwork and pub crawls. The upshot of this was a decision to try and raise some money for a charitable cause we all felt strongly about - namely Cancer Research UK. One year on we have settled on the idea to embark upon a Cycle journey across northern Europe in order to raise as much money via sponsorship as possible. Setting off from Calais and crossing a total of five countries, we intend to pass through Dunkirk, Bruges, Brussels, Liege and Aachen, reaching the furthest point of Koln, and then making the return journey - featuring a brief foray into the Netherlands. We hope to exceed our target of £920; a pound for every Kilometer we cover.

The journey begins on August 4th and will take 14 days in total (providing we don't get lost and end up in Turkey). We will be averaging 65 kilometres a day and hence an intensive fitness regime is already in motion, including regular cycle rides, a ban on £1 pizzas, and Rocky-style montages. Those of you who know us well will know that we've never put this much effort into any past endeavour, so please match this with your generosity! This generosity will be rewarded not only with the good feeling that donating to such a worthy cause brings, but also with a video diary and pictures of the group in tight, tight cycling shorts.

Thanks in advance for donations!