Done it!
Just back from Egypt, tired and just as sore as so many predicted I would be, but with every mile ridden and my fund raising target smashed. Mind you, Rod Smallwood has raised £75,000 and so my effort is a puny part of around £250,000 raised in total. The team was, with just a few exceptions, very middle aged and male, but we partied hard, cycled harder, rested in the shade of incredible ancient temples and got each other through it. 60 km's a day is no easy ride, especally when you carry a few stone of sub-cutaneous dead weight!
I'll post a website link when the photo's get published. The mankini pics are worth a visit!
Thanks so much to all.... and do keep it coming in!
Tom
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Well it's time! Having coughed up for dozens of other's fine causes and heroic efforts, all the while swearing NEVER to bother my contact list in the same way, I have now thrown all that cynicism into the bin because, late, late one night, a rock industry legend asked me if I'd ever seen the Nile. I waxed on and on about how I was desperate to see it and he then sprung his trap and lo, I'm doing a charity ride with a crowd of music industry heroes in aid of 2 very fine children's charities in Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and Childline, who receive half of all monies Nordoff Robbins raise. Do find out more about them if you wish at
http://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/> and www.childline.org.uk. Childhood is tough enough without the hugely traumatising problems these charities face up to and help with every day, and I'm really pleased to be helping their work in this small way.
My journey may be quite hot I fear, and I haven't ridden a bicycle in anger since prep school, but it still doesn't look as hard as the various triathlons etc I've sponsored others to do, so I best pay the £1400 cost and ask you if you'd chip in on top of that.
We set off on Jan 21 2010 for Aswan, Egypt, arriving quite late, then get up early the next day to spend the following 48 hours cycling 100 miles more or less along the Nile ending up in Luxor, where I'm told I'll be able to take a deep bath, and tackle the inevitable chafing and muscle spasms, perhaps with a few celebratory beers. We will afterwards prepare a website and send you the address with many pics and tall tales to hopefully amuse you
I do hope you will feel able to generously support me in this modest challenge so as to raise as much as possible for Childline and Nordoff Robbins.
Many thanks
Tom
