Dear All,
My apologies for not letting you know sooner about how the charity ride went but I needed a little time to recover from the wind burns that I got in Holland and the 50 plus hills with a tangent of at least 90 degrees that we all rode up and down on - I counted. It helped me cope with the pain!
I am delighted to report that at 5:30 pm GMT on Sunday, May 4th, the last riders came into Victoria Park, London after two long days on the bike cycling from Amsterdam. I am pleased to say that there were no injuries and 100% completion. I can tell you now that it was tough, even gruelling at times, and I wondered whether my karma was mocking me but it was all truly worthwhile in the end! There are some very funny stories to be shared and I encourage you to read the ride report attached.
Over thirty riders joined both myself and Duncan, and together with the Drink for MND Event in Melbourne, you have contributed to raise nearly £ 40,000 for Motor Neurone Disease associations around the world.
I have attached a report of the ride, our kick off from Vondelpark and a picture of our top five finishers; Bryan Pay (NZ), Maria Szymanik (NZ), Dick Walters (UK), Alistair Law (UK), and Christopher Wall (Gibraltar). Let's just say that I wasn't in the bottom 20 and Gibraltar was better represented through my friend Chris! :)
I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your words of encouragement, very generous support, and donations which has helped to exceed our target! On behalf of myself and the others, its very much appreciated. However, if you didn't yet get a chance to donate, and now that you have proof that I completed it, and would still like to do so, please go to the following sites;
· My Dutch friends and colleagues can donate in Euros directly to the Dutch ALS/MND Society or http://www.geefsamen.nl/duncanbayly! These donations are tax-deductible too, but we are not sure exactly how. If we all learned one thing in Holland, it was to not try to understand the Dutch tax system…also it would be useful for you to use my name as a reference.
· Or, if you would like to donate in Pounds, please donate directly onto this site and if you could be so kind as to choose to give the charity the 28% tax deductible that would be great; http://www.justgiving.com/karenlopez
· If you would like to donate in Dollars, please go to http://www.firstgiving.com/rideformnd2008
Thank you once more for your support, we all enjoyed ourselves immensely and amazed at everyone’s help and support!
Warm regards,
Karen
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