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TOTAL HAS GONE DOWN? - I have taken off the raised offline amount as the riders will be uploading their sponsor form money onto the site. This will give us the final value once all has been collected in! Thank You! Ladies and Gentlemen, WE DID IT! - A Diary has been published below. Video @  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tomgw2IwYe0" target="_new">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tomgw2IwYe0</a> All 12 riders rolled underneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris at 1300hrs on Wednesday the 18th August 2010. It was a fantastic experience which I am sure the memory of will be with all the riders for all time. Epic Gents, Well done! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us by donating money, please if you have not already and still wish to, follow the links below or speak to one of the riders. Once again, Thank You,   Stu Gorman Team Leader --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    It was a glorious day when the team assembled outside building 327 at RAF Cranwell on the 12th of August 2010. The team were in fantastic spirits, the sun was shinning, the support team were gearing up for some time on the road as were the 12 cyclists. We departed to reach EMUAS flying headquarters riding up Cranwell avenue as a warm up prior to the start of the challenge. Final admin matters where sorted, a good stretch session was undertaken prior to a leaving party which sore members of EMUAS, 16 Squadron and CFS even coming out to send us off at 0930hrs. We paused momentarily for some team pictures by the gates of college hall before splitting into our 2 teams of 6, with mixed abilities and departed on the 450 mile journey; the sun was still shinning. Day 1 started well with a few minor hick ups, a wrong turn on the first junction and ending up in Sleaford to say the least, a puncture and no spare tubes at 4.5miles out, but we got our bearings, and spare tubes, and started churning up the miles. Bourne was our lunch stop and was the site of our first accident. Stu, the team leader didn't manage to un-clip his shoes in time, resulting in him falling off his bike and cutting his knee. A quick bit of first aid and everything was fine, bike and knee intact. The weather didn't hold much after lunch and we were cycling into torrential rain and winds of the duration of the day. This awful turn in the weather caught Andy Bingham's team out resulting in his map getting 'soaked beyond repair'. This resulted in the team having to navigate by A roads rather than the back roads Stu's group took. After hot drinks in a quaint local pub, the teams rolled into Rushden travel lodge at 1800hrs, 66 miles down and ready for spaghetti bolognese cooked by our support team on a camping stove. Day 2 started with a brighter outlook at least for the morning. Stu's team was first to depart the travel lodge with Andy's close behind. We changed the routes for this day to make them more direct, after looking at the A6, it seemed a good enough road to cycle down. This cut out a lot of winding back roads and therefore dramatically reduced our distance for the leg. We cycled through Bedford and onwards further down the A6 before turning off and hitting the persistent steep hills of Hertfordshire. Lunch provided a good rest and then the teams slowly made there way through the rolling hills, and that is when the rain began. This was a tough part of the day. We made it to Luton around 1500hrs and Potters Bar signed the start of the run into London. We changed the maps and started meandering through the traffic. We arrived at central London travel lodge at around 1730hrs.  Andy's team however were much later. Andy himself had some dramatic problems with the bike. One of the major components had failed meaning he had to wait until the next morning and get to a bike shop. This could have been the end of his ride. Day 3 was one of the hardest days of the ride. Pain and fatigue was starting to take their toll on all the riders. Compared to the other days this was a shorter leg but getting out of London would prove to be very time consuming. The physiological impact was huge, it took us 2 hours to travel 10 miles out of London, way below our typical pace of 16 miles per hour. Having head out of London, we met the support van for lunch in Dartford before heading along the riverside route to Canterbury.  We arrived in Canterbury around 1700hrs on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Our accommodation for this evening was a bag packers hostel, who put on a big BBQ for us and fellow guests, a nice brake for our support team and the riders. The next set of support driver met us at the hostel before they head down to Dover to get a late evening crossing so they would be ready to meet us in France for the second half of the ride. The real hero's of day 3 were Nick and Andy. They stayed behind in London until 1130hrs so Andy's bike could be repaired. They cycled together so that they would cover the whole route and managed to catch up with both teams later in the day. Fantastic effort and as a reward, they both stayed in Andy's friends B&B that evening who could only accommodate 2 of the riders. Well deserved. The morning of Day 4 was a rush. We had a time by which we had to be at Dover. Other mornings had been a more relaxed start but today, we had to be off on time. Stuarts team again was first to depart with Andy's team close behind. The route again was adapted, after riding on the A2 for the final leg of day 3, we decided it was safe enough to follow this more direct route straight into Dover. There was a massive anticipation on the way towards Dover. Surely it was going to be down hill? The team got their wish, all be it after 4 rather steep climbs and we hit top speeds on our racing bikes whilst descending into the Port of Dover where we said goodbye to out support drivers who had done a fantastic job and heading on board the 12:15 crossing to Calais. We were officially half way on the ride when we reached Dover, we celebrated by getting ourselves an extra hour of sleep, well deserved! Once leaving the ferry, we were faced with a long walk from the ship to our new support vehicle to leave extra bags and start our first french leg. We remembered to set off on the right side of the road, however roundabouts took a little longer. One word could describe the first leg perfectly, Stunning. We meandered in and out of the coast which was a mix of little villages, sweeping down hill bends with straight uphills passing WW2 relics and museums. The route was used for the Tour de France a few years back and it was absolutely amazing. The new support team settled in well, and promoted team moral on all hills by driving up behind each team ringing a cow bell shouting words of encouragement and passing brioche out the rear window. We cycled into Boulougne sur Mer in the late afternoon and rode behind what looked like a town festival which was a great sight. Again this evenings accommodation was in a bag packers hostel. Dinner was provided by the support team who made chili with pasta and lots of bread.      All accommodation in France included breakfast, typical continental so therefore lots and lots of bread! We stocked up on bread at the start of day 5 and prepared for our longest day, which turned out to be longer than we thought. We set of on our 84 mile leg early in the morning, the sky was gray and the air was cold. We left Boulougne sur Mer on a minor road on which we for the majority of the morning. When we hit the back roads, France took up a very repetitive look. Small village, empty, followed by flat rolling fields of hay or corn. It was the same hour after hour. We hit our first problem just after the morning break. In Stu's team, Simon had his first puncture. Once it was repaired we were on our way, and then Stu had 2 punctures. Once the punctures were repaired the team carried on, but the inner tubes were the least of the problems. Stu's tires had been cut up by the glass he hit and therefore puncture after puncture occurred. The day went on and on, replacing tubes and once we had run out repairing them. Simon's tires were damaged as well and his tubs were deflating every couple of miles. The only place new tires could be bought from were the destination of Amiens, 30 miles away. The decision was made to send the van on to the town and buy 4 new tires and some inner tubes. We were left with the track pump and ended up cycling until our tires were flat, pumping them up and repeating. We covered another 8 miles and called it a day, sitting in the carpark of a supermarket waiting for the support vehicle. Moral was surprising high despite it being 8 o'clock and the support team going to be an hour until they reached us, by this time Andy's team had found the hotel and were in a local pizzeria waiting for the support team to arrive so the rooms could be booked into as the money for the hotel was in the support vehicle.       At 20:45 the support team arrived with tires, tubes and Mcdonald's. Parts fitted, lights attached and high viz jackets on, the team set off into the evening still with stacks of Moral. With a clear run of 20 miles in 1 hour, Stu's team arrived into Amiens at 2200hrs and the final 3 miles to the hotel was all that was left, but with a blow out on Nick Jackson-Spences Tyre, a further hour was added to the day. They finished at 2330hrs still laughing and glad that all riders had finished the day despite their problems. Day 6 was uneventful, a 40 mile push to the outskirt of Paris with an early night for the last day. Stu went through another set of tyres but all in all, bikes were good however rider fatigue could be seen by this day. The final day started with a 0530 and we were on the road by 0630 cycling towards our target of the Eiffel tower. A smooth quick ride for the start of the day, the teams could see the goal and were gunning for it. The outer ring road of Paris was a quick stop for lunch, grab a bottle of champagne (2 euros for hyper market!) and prepare ourselves for the final 5 miles. The roads of Paris were HELL! No markings and a few scary moments following the support van. The first team arrived to the Eiffel Tower viewing plat form at 1230, the second arrived at 1300. Joy can not describe the feeling, it was emotional. One of the biggest achievements of 12 riders lives, and everyone knew it. We paused for some pictures and formed up as a 12 to cycle the last 500 meters.   We cycled down the hill in ranks of 2 towards the base of the Eiffel tower, to be met by a party of Union flags and EMUAS crest being waved around, with clapping and cheering from parents of some of the riders. We got of our bikes, pushed them under the tower and popped open the champagne! Beers were passed away and cheers were being shouted. People passing by were stopping for pictures, Brits who reconsigned the RAF roundel were stopping and congratulating us. It was a fantastic moment which I am sure non of the riders will ever forget, and all of it for a fantastic cause! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the East Midlands Universities Air Squadrons (EMUAS) Charity Bike Ride Fundraising Page! We are a group of twelve members of EMUAS, all of whom are in the middle of degrees at various universities around the midlands. Our aim this summer is to take on a 400 mile cycling challenge, from our home base at RAFC Cranwell, Lincolnshire, to underneath the shadow of the Eifel tower in Paris. The EPIC journey will begin with the team departing RAFC Cranwell on Thursday 12th August and after riding for 5 days, will arrive in Paris on the 18th, following a route that takes them through Bedford, Centre of London, Canterbury, Dover, Calais, Dannes, Amiens and Paris. We are to do this arduous task in aid of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, a charity which is very close to the hearts of all those involved in the RAF. This fantastic charity aids the welfare of, not only the current serving, but ex-service men/women, and their families, who find themselves in need of support. This charity is so important, without it so many people would find themselves in such difficulty especially after the recent economic crisis, and conflicts worldwide. The RAFBF really need our support more than ever. So please dig deep and donate anything you can. From 50p up to whatever you can afford. Every penny will help to take us closer to our target, and really make a difference to people’s lives. The challenge is sure to be tough, and will require a lot of teamwork and mental attitude, so please show your support in our efforts, and donate today. For more information on this fantastic organisation, and some true stories on how the charity has managed to make a difference to peoples lives, please visit the website below, <a href="http://www.rafbf.org/">http://www.rafbf.org/</a>  Thank you for showing your generosity and support, The Team. EMUAS website: <a href="http://www.emuas.co.uk/">http://www.emuas.co.uk/</a> Gift Aid  Please remember to click GIFT AID, this costs no extra to you, but allows the charity to recover some of the cost that is taken away by tax, effectively raising more money for the charity.

450 Mile Cycle Challenge

450 Mile Cycle Challenge

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