Story
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I have signed up for:</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: black; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; color: #009ee0; text-transform: uppercase; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">PERSONAL CHALLENGES - LONDON - PARIS</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">which sounds like fun, until you realise it's not by car, plane or train but by pedal bike!!</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: black; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This is a 4 day challenge, starting in London on the 31st August, heading down to Dover (only 95 miles!!), then across the channel by ferry, then a further 3 days to get to Paris - arriving (in one piece I hope) . I haven't worked out how far it is, but by road it's apparently 308 miles.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I've got myself a very professional looking road bike (through the excellent Ride-2-Work scheme the company runs), some cycling shoes (the clip on ones that guarantee that you'll fall off at least once when you forget your feet are connected to the bike) and am borrowing my sons helmet.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I took the bike out for its maiden spin on the 3rd April (14 miles in the countryside) and it was lovely.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">On the 10th April I took part in a 'sportive' event with a couple of hundred very professional looking (and very fast) cyclists over a distance of 100km (60miles).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I did complete the course, though the last 5 miles or so were agony - mostly my knees and a very stiff neck and shoulders. I only fell off once (forgot to unclip when I stopped at a T junction!!) and it wasn't as bad as it might have been :-)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">So, I would very much appreciate your sponsorship for what will I'm sure be a real challenge - physical and mental.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: black; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: black; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">It is obviously for a very worthy cause and it is for this reason that I'm doing this.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Thanks for your support - moral and sponsorship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Now all I have to do is get fit!!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(and buy some padded shorts)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Simon</span></p>
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