Sally Hopkinson
Étape du Tour
Fundraising for Nottingham University Hospitals Charity
Story
Hello
As Sally said in her mail I managed to finish the Etape, which considering 3000 out of 9500 didn 't makes me quite chuffed.
The event was was quite brutal with temperatures climbing to over 40 degrees in exposed places on the route. 60k of climbing in that heat takes it out of you. There were bodies on the roadside all the way up the Tourmalet and ambulances whizzing up and down the whole time.
It was a fantastic day and I would happily do it again. In total you have helped me raise around £1500 (much more because of gift aid) so a huge thank you for supporting a great cause.
Dan has completed The Étape du Tour in an amazing 3578 place with 6887 riders finishing the gruelling race. I spoke to him briefly yesterday and as well as being at the top of the Col du Tourmalet; he was on top of the world. Dan's endless training and hard work has paid off and he has made us all proud. I am sure he will post some photos and will provide you with more details when he returns.
On behalf of Dan, I would like to thank all of our generous friends, family and colleagues for sponsoring him. He has aised an amazing £1,440.00 for the FMMU at QMC. I know there are a few of you out there who have said you still wish to add to the total, the just giving site will remain there for at least a few weeks or you can email dshopkinson@btinternet.com. A big big thank you to you all. Dan, Sally and Alexander x
So – what am I doing?
The Étape du Tour ..... It’s cycling the toughest stage of the 2010 Tour de France and I will be riding it along with 9,500 others just 4 days before Lance, Bradley, Alberto et al ride it. It’s a 108 mile cycle through the Pyrénées, climbing two cols before finishing at the top of the highest mountain pass in the Pyrénées: the Col du Tourmalet. It’s, in a word, painful. It involves a spot of climbing. In fact, it involves about 13,500ft of climbing. That’s roughly the same as 3 x Ben Nevises, or 3.8 x Snowdons.
Here is the official website: http://www.letapedutour.com/2010/ETDT/presentation/us/index.htm
So - why am I doing it?
During Sally's pregnancy we lost Alexander's twin brother Ben, this combined with further complications with Alexander and Sally meant that we needed special care during the pregnancy. We received exceptional care and support during this difficult time at the Feto-maternal Medicine Unit at Nottingham QMC.
About FMMU:
The FMMU is a referral centre for the Trent Region for women who need extra support because their pregnancy has become complicated. Some women have an underlying medical condition which puts extra stress on them during pregnancy. Referral to this unit may also be made because there is a concern about your unborn baby.
We wanted to give something back so I thought I would try and push my limits on the hardest cycle challenge I could find.
What the donations are to be used for is yet to be decided as it will very much depend on how much is raised, so please dig deap.
Any support you can give would be really appreciated.
Dan Sally and Alexander
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.