110km of shimmering tarmac, over 3500m of uphill, 6000 fellow cyclists to elbow, 30 degree heat, 2 cols to cross, one to conquer, 21 hairpin bends on the final 14km with an average 8% gradient, a few thousand gallons of sweat, 12 thousand very tired legs at the finish and lots of  lycra!

A lot of stats, but none come close to 157,000 - that is the number of people who die of cancer in the UK each year. That is a big number, that is one in three of us.

On July 11th under a blistering sun, amidst stunning alpine scenery, I will (hopefully) morph into Lance Armstrong, don my maillot jaune, mount my sturdy steed and set off on L'etape du Tour. This is the punters' chance to cycle one stage of the mighty Tour de France a week before the 'real' Lance and his pals cycle through.

The challenge is going to be immense, the atmosphere buzzing and the number of calories burnt high, but the sense of achievement will be huge if I make it to the top of Alpe D'Huez!  I know you get asked by lots of people, many times over to give to charity, so don't feel obliged, just will me over those mountains on 11 July.

But, I would be so grateful if you could donate just a bit - maybe £10? A little bit from everyone makes a big difference to someone.

Thank you so much.

This is the official bit about giving money:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you again.