Some of you already know this, but I recently took leave of my senses and put my name forward to do this year's L'Etape Du Tour. This is an extremely arduous one-day cycle ride covering one of the stages of the Tour de France, covering 177 Km through the Pyrenees, gaining a total of nearly 3000m in less than 10 hours. Now those of you who know me well and know something about cycling will be aware that I'm built rather more like a sprinter than a climber, or at least would be if you took a couple of inches off my waist and put them on my chest ...

If you know someone else who might be willing to help me out here, please feel free to forward this to them, but please add a one-line note to the top rather than forwarding it without comment.

Big thanks already to those below, Helensburgh Round Table and Helensburgh Tyres for their huge donations!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me short of actually signing my sponsorship form: Marie Curie Cancer Care will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Many thanks for your support.