A DIFFERENT AND NEW IMPORTANT NOTE:

TOM SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE CHALLENGE OF REACHING 3000M ABOVE SEA LEVEL AS SCHEDULED LAST FRIDAY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR ALL THOSE MESSAGES OF SUPPORT AND OF COURSE THE KIND DONATIONS, MAKING EVERY METRE OF MUSCLE BURNING HILL EXTREMELY WORTHWHILE.

THERE WERE SIX WINNERS OF PRIZES, HAVING BEEN CLOSEST TO PREDICTING MY ACTUAL TIME RIDING EACH DAY. ONE PERSON EXCELLED, BY PREDICTING FOUR CONSECUTUVE DAYS' TIMES, WELL DONE.

WE WILL BE KEEPING THIS DONATION SITE RUNNING UNTIL 31st JULY 2020, TO ALLOW ANYONE STILL WISHING TO MAKE A DONATION THE CHANCE.

WE CAN REPORT HERE THAT THE BOYS AT AZUL WASI ARE WELL AND COPING WITH STRICT LOCKDOWN IN PERU AND ARE PLEASED THEY HAVE A STRONG FAMILY AND SAFE HOME....... AND THEY HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE RIDE ON THE SALSA DUNDEE Fb PAGE. THEY ARE VERY THANKFUL TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED AND KIND SUPPORT.

FINALMENTE, GRACIAS Y HASTA LUEGO,

ABRAZOS DE DISTANCIA, TOM

WHO OR WHAT IS AZUL WASI?

Azul Wasi is a home for 20 or so boys an hour’s bus ride south of Cusco, situated high in the Andes mountains of Peru. Many folk from around the world know of Azul Wasi either through visiting the home as a volunteer of some sort, or being inspired by their story through friends.

As you can imagine the running costs of such an establishment are enormous which is how so many of those good folk known to Azul Wasi have been helping over the past two decades.

One such group has been involved since the very beginnings of the home late last century, that is the Latin Quarter fraternity of South East Scotland (and beyond) based in Dundee and established by Sarah with able support from Massimo. Sarah has run dance classes and salsa events over those years helping Azul Wasi with the costs of living, well over £100 000 to date. Thanks to the global Covid 19 situation, those classes and events have been curtailed in South East Scotland, whilst life continues at Azul Wasi,………………. along with all those costs.

So, what’s that all got to do with some old bloke on a bicycle in the Tamar Valley?

Well, if you don’t recognise the bloke cruising across the alti plano, you may possibly identify him having been magnificently captured, styling in Dundee back in 2006. Still not sure?

It is of course Tom Jolly of GlobalEd, Latin Quarter’s go-between who helps with their link to Azul Wasi. He’s popped up in SE Scotland over the years, gracing the odd event and, with Sarah, taking Azul Wasi’s story and life in Peru into the local community through educational activities, involving the likes of Glebelands Primary to Lilybank Centre in Forfar and The Lord Provost to Dundee United.

Tom has always thought of himself as a hidden hand who occasionally pops up at a LatinQuarter extravaganza where the real hard work happens thanks to the salsa fraternity of South East Scotland. With that in mind it’s time for him to get on his bike and see what he can do to help………… in The Tamar Valley.

Tom is planning to not literately cycle to Cusco, but, Covid 19 restrictions considered, he will use and repeat 20 times the long ride out of the Tamar Valley in Devon/Cornwall (a rise of 150metres above sea level) to achieve an accumulated vertical height gained of 3000m, the altitude in the part of the Andes, that Azul Wasi calls home.

Details of ride:

Starting on July 1st Tom will ride 10 daily Stages comprising 2 laps of a 5Km route (see map below) giving a 300m altitude gain (including what would be a ‘Cat 4 climb’ in any of Europe’s Gran Tours)

Registered supporters have a chance each day to win a lovely prize all the way from Peru by accurately predicting daily stage times completed by Tom.

Once having registered a guest donation, if you wish to have a stab at winning one of those daily prizes, send an email to our special address:

azulwasitamarchallenge2020@yahoo.com

You will receive a form that will require your name, Donation Receipt No. and most importantly your 10 predicted times.

We will be closing the chance to be entered for the prizes on June 30th at 11:59

The 10 lucky winners will be informed once the full 10 Stages are complete, hopefully body and bike have no issues by the 10th July.

This activity has been designed to respect the original full lockdown advice by being within daily local exercise allowed. Should there be any changes to Covid 19 awareness and activity advice, there may be a need to make changes to plans.

Daily stage footage will be available through the Latin Quarter Face Book group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LQsalsadundee/

and for more info on recent past salsa events and general Azul Wasi background, visits websites; https://www.salsadundee.com and/or www.globaled.org.uk/partners/ngos

A bit of inside intel that may help you predict your times on each of the 10 Stages:

Rider: Tom, aged 56 (now 57), reasonably fit, non-car owner, daily cyclist, plenty of the usual creaks and aches and pains.

Bikes: Any one of my three vintage machines as classified by my Mum; Thin bike, Thick bike, Daily bike

Weather: Hopefully, we will have good July weather. Headwinds (anything with north in it) are the only likely pediment to progress.

Route/terrain: The Tamar Valley is the county border between Devon and Cornwall. Estuarine to a weir just below the start point of the route, at this point the river has cut a sharp canyon with meandering bends. The A390 crosses the Tamar at Newbridge (built 1520), Gunnislake, Cornwall, continuing east towards Tavistock, immediately presenting a 2Km climb gaining 130 or so metres in altitude.

A Stage will be two laps, starting at Newbridge, climbing 2Km to Gulworthy roundabout and back down to Newbridge. To make up the total daily altitude gain to a good 300m, the finish line includes the 1Km climb back up to Gunnislake High Street.

All results published by end July 2020.

Thank you