Last year was my first charity cycle with Sage and I managed to cycle 280 miles from Purley to Paris.  However I made one fundamental, schoolboy error by not continuing on the epic journey down through France to the Alps.  This year sees us do it all again but this time I get to right last year’s wrong and complete the journey.

We will be heading off on the 5th June from Purley travelling through the Kent countryside to Dover then across to Calais and on to Paris. We will then leave Paris behind and travel through France and on to the Alps.

This time around is going to be even harder with 7 long days in the saddle covering a staggering 780 miles with a bump in the road at the end, or should I say a MASSIVE mountain known as Alpe d'Huez to tackle. Alpe d'Huez is the most iconic climb in the Tour de France with 21 hair pin bends and 8.6 miles of climbing, with an average gradient of 8% and to a height of 1815 metres.

Why do it I hear you say...well, I love to cycle, need to get fitter, get some weight off but more importantly I will be cycling for Cancer Research. We need to challenge the big C and defeat it once and for all.

The training has started early with 7 spinning classes a week as since I have turned 40 I seem to have a phobia to the bad weather so I am doing things strictly indoors - however anyone who has done spinning will know it’s no picnic!. From January the hard work really cranks up as I hit the road and clock up the miles.

The challenge however is nowhere near as great as the challenge facing my dearest friend who has recently been diagnosed with Terminal Cancer at the age of 45. John is a great human being who is one of those good guys and someone who always puts others first and will do anything to help.  This disease needs defeating before others like John have their life taken away from them and the friends and family left behind have their life’s shattered.

This is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done but with hard work, determination and the thought of what John and other sufferers at home are facing will make this journey a success.

Thanks for looking at my page and if you would like to make a donation no matter how great or small it will be received with sincere thanks.