Well, I find myself doing this stupid thing again; punishing my body with those dreadful hills. This trip promises to be a real test of my stamina with the Alps to contend with at the end. I dont want to dwell on this aspect, at least not for the present.

My painting, on the left, is meant to make light of the whole thing. All those traffic cones and little activity. Time for tea and a break.

The serious purpose of the ride is to raise money for Aspire. I have close links with Aspire through the Variety Club. Aspire is a wonderful charity and provides much needed help to those with spinal injuries. The particular part of Aspire that this ride is seeking to aid is the Human Needs Fund which provides light weight wheelchairs and IT to enable those in need to live a more independent life. This mirrors my special interest in the Variety Club where I am Deputy Chair of the Easy Riders Wheelchair Committee.

All contributions made to my page will be going directly to Aspire plus, if you are a UK tax payer, the addition of  25% in Gift Aid and a 3% supplement. I, myself, will be covering all the administration and travel costs required by the cycle ride organisers. Thus, all your contributions do go to where you would wish them to go.

To see what Aspire achieves please go to www.aspire.org.uk

So, how about a little sponsorship.

John Tunstall