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On 20th July 2009 I will be taking part in the L'Etape Du Tour cycle ride in France along with my mates Ed and Clive.  It is a stage of this years Tour De France held a week before the professional riders do the same course.  It is over 100 miles and includes Mont Ventoux, a famous mountain in the Tour.  Its about 21km of constant climbing and is very tough.  Lance Armstong said "Ventoux is the hardest climb in France" and he would know.  This is the official web site.

My training for this event has already begun with regular weekend rides of over 80 miles.  I am becoming very familiar with all the hills in Surrey.  I am also running to help shift a couple of stone - the lighter I am, the easier the hills are.  I have four training events booked for next year in Wales, Dartmoor and the Lake District so I'll be working hard for your money.  You can follow my progess here: http://etape2009.blogspot.com/

As I train hard for this event I thought it would be good to try and raise a bit of money for charity.  I remembered watching a short piece of film on Children in Need a few years about about a boy who was both deaf and blind and it really stuck with me.  It was deeply sad to watch as I realised just how isolated he was.  If you are afflicted by one of these things then life is difficult but you still get to have everyday stimulus but with both, you are almost in a world of your own.  It must be very lonely without the help of others.

So, I ask you to give anything you can to help.  I know money is tight and we all get a lot of sponsorship requests but give all you can.  Think about it - no cafe lattes for 2 days is £5.  That would do nicely .  Thanks.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Deafblind UK gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!

EVENTS - All done.  Thanks.

Done

1. Run: Longmoor Lollop Cross Country Half Marathon
A perfect crisp winter's day.  I did well doing it in 2:00:16
2. Cycle: The Hell of the Ashdown Challenge (01/02/09)
Very very cold, windy and a lot of snow.  It was not ideal cycling weather.
3. Run: Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon (15/02/09)
Was very pleased with my 1:48 on a hilly course.  Very pleased from my friend Emma, who ran her first half marathon in a fantastic sub-2 time.
4. Run: South Devon Coastal Half Marathon (21/02/09)
Devon is such a pretty county and the coast is so nice to run on.  A very challenging course but I really enjoyed the day.
5. Run: Meon Valley Plod Cross Country (01/03/09)
Perfect weather, stunning course and 21 hard but great miles.  I took over 20 minutes off my course PB.
6. Cycle: The Burgess Hill Spring Classic Cyclosportive (15/03/09)
A really great sunny day, 44th place out of 327 and my first silver sportive certificate.
7. Duathlon: The Ballbuster (22/03/09)
A really difficult duathlon.  I'm not used to this type of event but I did ok.
8. Cycle: Fred Whitton Challenge (10/05/09)
The hardest day of cycling I've ever had.  The 112 miles was hard enough but the constant hills were intense.  I did get over all the hills without walking including the 33% of Hardknott Pass.
9. Run: 20km de Bruxelles (31/05/09)
I very hot day and too much Belgium beer the night before resulted in a terrible run.
10. Cycle: The Dave Lloyds Mega Challenge (21/06/09)
An incredibly hard ride.  150 miles and 5000 meters of climbing in wet conditions.  Toughest event yet.
11. Cycle: Dartmoor Classic Cyclosportive (28/06/09)
Falling off didn't help my time but I was ok and managed to get around the stunning course.
12. Cycle: L'Etape Du Tour (20/07/09)
Wow, what a day.  Beautiful French countryside, 9,000 riders, 40 degrees and a big mountain.  Very tough but so worth while.  A must of any cyclist.