"Cycle from London to Paris, you must be joking ! " That was Stuart's first reaction when Mary announced she was going to take up this challenge to raise money for Thames Hospicecare in memory of his daughter Helen. When his brother Mark heard the news, (recalling his cycling exploits as a teenager on his penny farthing) he felt compelled to join in the challenge and show up his older brother.
The French may be used to the thrills and spills of the Tour de France but are they really ready for these two lycra clad, finely honed cyclists flashing through their countryside. This could well trigger an EU ban on any repeat visits.
Mary and Mark are now in serious training for this four day event which sets off from Greenwich in London on September 9th.(Well, Mark now cycles to the pub) Hopefully they will reach the Eifel Tower late afternoon on Saturday September 12th, saddlesore but elated that they have raised a huge sum for this worthwhile cause.
So thanks for visiting our web fund raising page. Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Thames Hospicecare 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 us now! We will keep this page up dated and let you know how we get on.
Wednesday August 12th
Well, its only four weeks to go now and the dynamic duo have seriously increased their training regime. Mark recently returned from two weeks altitude training on the Isle of Wight and he now cycles to the pub at lunchtime as well as evenings. Mary has taken to watching videos of the Tour de France and now eats regularly at Cafe Rouge as well as visiting the local French Markets at the weekends to sell onions from her bicycle.
Thank you for your support so far which is absolutely amazing. Every £15 raised funds one hour of specialist nursing care at the Hospice, so if you haven't sponsored us yet, we hope you will feel inspired to do so.
Wednesday September 9th
Day one completed and after some serious hills in the North Downs of Kent we arrived safely at Dover at 4 30pm in time for the 6 O'Clock ferry which was in fact late! This was not the end as we had to complete a few miles in France in the dark on the wrong side of the road to reach the hotel for the first night. The money raised so far is amazing, so thanks to everyone for their sponsorship and messages of support.
Thursday September 10th
Day two completed by 4 30pm. Riding on the right is not too bad, but unfortunately Mary and a few others missed the hotel entrance and managed to complete a couple of miles of Friday's route before realising and turning back. Thank goodness for the orange direction arrows! Mixed reports on the food and apparently a few cyclists managed to escape the hotel and visit McDonalds to top up their calory intake. The support team are now off to Paris to prepare for Saturday's arrival party!
Saturday September 12th
3 30pm and we cycle around the five lanes of the Arc de Triomphe stopping all traffic before us. The French cannot believe their eyes, can there be two tour de France in one year. Down the Champs Elysees, across the Seine and along the riverbank we speed to the Eiffel Tower where it seems like a million people are awaiting our arrival. We have completed the challenge, have many stories to tell and have met so many likeminded people raising money for their own personal reasons. We had the biggest support team by far and we continued to celebrate well into the night, doing our very best for the French wine producing businesses.
Once again very many thanks to everyone for their generous support.
Mary and Mark
