Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

12 months ago, it would have been fair to say that the last time I cycled more than about a mile was at some point in the early 90s when I embarked upon the journey from Smock Lane, Garswood to Col's house in Billinge - almost 2.5 miles - on some 1970s handmedown with 3 gears...

But then, in 2015, True Capital (the company I work for) got involved with a bike brand called Ribble.  So last summer I thought I should buy a proper bike and, if you are going to do something, then do it properly...

Fast forward a year and I now own lots and lots of (very cool) lycra and will be attempting to take on 2 rides which currently feel like mission impossible; the London Ride 100 Miles in July and, perhaps a bit more stupidly, the Dragon Ride L'Etape by Tour de France (yes, really) - 230Km in the cold, wet, windy hills of South Wales in June.

I am doing this for the charity Tommy's.  I have copied their own message below:

"Tommy's exists to save babies' lives. We fund research into the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications that lead to miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. We also provide pregnancy health information for parents-to-be"

I know how hard it is to lose an unborn child - despite being lucky enough to have two amazing little girls, Vicki and I have suffered seven miscarriages along the way - each time it gets harder and each time there is no answer as to why.  I know the impact that just one miscarriage can have on a family and I know how many of my friends and family have suffered the same thing. The lack of answers is the hardest thing - this is a massively under researched area of medical science where the potential for positive impact can be profound.

I came across Tommy's only after the last time it happened to Vicki and me - they are a small charity with some amazing people working really hard  to try and find some answers - to try and make a huge difference to the lives of people who aren't lucky enough to know how it feels when you see your baby's face for the first time.  So my 10, 11, 12 (hopefully not more) hours in the saddle will be to help a little bit... anything you can do to support will be massively appreciated by me and the team at Tommy's - it will definitely help change outcomes for those couples still trying.

THANK YOU

Paul x

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