Six months ago a small group of us while indulging in some cream cakes swapped stories and challenges and with time on our side signed up to cycle from London to Paris in aid of Cure Leukaemia. With 6 weeks to go and a combined weight amongst the four of us in excess of 70 stones the challenge now appears more daunting.

The team lacks the panache of Team Sky and with only Andy Tomkins having any form of cycling pedigree it is apparent that any ascents will present a physical challenge to Neil, Damian and Aaron who are typically 50% to 100% heavier than Tour de France cyclists (the range reflect their respective weights being currently disputed/ mis-represented).

Our issues pale into insignificance from those who suffer with Leukaemia and hopefully our modest fund raising can contribute to the world class work Cure Leukaemia fund in the UK. Cure Leukaemia helps blood cancer patients to access pioneering drug and transplant treatments by funding a network of specialist research nurses across the UK. Without these nurses, to ensure patients are monitored and cared for, clinical trials of these new treatments would not run and patients, that have exhausted standard treatment options, would miss out on potentially lifesaving therapies. Every penny raised for Cure Leukaemia helps save lives and also hastens global progress towards the eradication of all forms of blood cancer.