Team Sheep - comprised of Mark Hughes & Audrey Bowerman - are cycling the 100 mile RideLondon-Surrey 100 this August. We're riding in aid of Friendship Works, a fabulous local charity providing long-term adult mentors to children struggling with a variety of problems such as social exclusion, troubled home lives, behavioural issues, or the responsibility for caring for a parent. 

The volunteer mentor gives the child an important and stable adult relationship they can rely on, spending quality time with them on a regular basis over a minimum of two years, helping them to enjoy childhood experiences many would take for granted, and give them opportunities they may not otherwise have access to.

We're aiming to raise £2,000, which could help to train five new mentors and support Friendship Works in achieving their goal of supporting over 200 children with their own friend and mentor this year - helping them to enjoy their childhoods, build their confidence and discover their potential in society. Any support you can give towards this target will mean a huge amount to us, and be very gratefully received by Friendship Works!

100 miles is a long way, and with a 8h04m* time limit and two major hills to climb (the famous Box Hill zig-zags and Leith Hill, the highest peak in the south east of England) it will be a substantial challenge for both of us - neither of whom has cycled anything like this distance before. We'll post occasional updates from our training here so you can see how well (or not!) we're doing - or you can follow @sheeponbikes on Twitter for all the gory details.

*The ignominy of finishing in a time slower than Boris Johnson's 8h04m time from 2013 is too great, so while there is technically an 8h30m course time limit...