Story
Once again I will be donning lycra and putting myself in a saddle for 3 days to cycle 534 miles with friends and colleagues from Alsford
What is the point?
Well, as most of you will know, I've fallen in love with Cycling, and rather than just annoying my partner Jen with it, I'm lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of this fantastic fundraising trip.
We are cycling from Caen through the hills of central France to Beaune in the Burgundy region.
We are raising money for three fantastic charities, close to my heart - Demelza, British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK
As a team, we raised over £10,000 last year, and we are determined to match it again this year. On a personal level, I would like to raise as much as possible - as the work of two of these charities has become very important to me and my family in the last few years.
Day 1: Thursday 25th September - Caen to Orleans
185 miles
Starting at the ferry terminal in the early hours of Thursday 25th September, we will soon cross Pegasus Bridge, where airborne troops were the first to land at the start of the D-Day landings in June 1944. Then we ride through the undulating Normandy countryside before descending to the Loire valley and Orleans, where Joan of Arc famously liberated the city from the Plantagenets during the Hundred Years’ War. Our first night is on the edge of the Sologne, a vast area of forests, moors and lakes.
Day 2: Friday 26th September - Orleans to Vichy
189 miles
We ride South,into the Auvergne and the foothills of the Massif Central to our second night in Vichy, originally a Roman spa town and more recently the seat of the French State in 1940 under Marshal Petain.
Day 3: Saturday 27th September - Vichy to Beaune
160 miles
Our final etape takes us through the Beaujolais hills and into the vineyards of Burgundy to our destination of Beaune where we will celebrate our achievements together in the centre of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines.