Hi!

Thanks for taking the time to visit and read my page. You've probably heard me say "I've been doing a lot of cycling recently". Let me quantify that. I've just come back from a 65 mile ride, and it's over 30 degrees C outside. I left home at 7am and got back at lunchtime. It's Saturday, I'm not skiving off work! Tomorrow, I'll ride about 40-50 miles. I've done this every weekend since early May when I started training. In the week, I've been cycling 15-30 miles a day on 3-4 weekdays, going out early in the day before work, in the evenings, and on some days, both. I've tried to fit in the odd run in between, but that's by-the-by.

I know some think I'm a bit "odd" in that I enjoy a lot of exercise, but even by my standards, this is a *bit* OTT - I'm rather bored (and physically tired) of spending about 10 hours of every weekend with my bum on a saddle. But I keep going, I won't relent. I'm doing it because I set myself a challenge way beyond anything I've taken on before. I'm going to cycle from London to Paris. Yes, that's right, there's all those hills and 300 miles in the way between me and my pain au chocolat. Or pain au bum as a friend recently put it.

The route leaves London, heads 80 miles through some hilly terrain down to Dover, where we will take the ferry to Calais. Then the next day, we'll cycle the 80 miles to Arras, another hilly day. The third day winds another 80 miles south to Compiegne. The fourth and final day is a "mere"  60 miles into Paris, finishing under the Tour Eiffel.

I'm doing this to raise money and awareness for an important charity called the Motor Neurone Disease Association. I'm doing it because my dearest aunty was taken by this disease recently. It's an incurable disease and it takes the life of most people diagnosed within a year or two. Unless we support charities like this, there won't be any much-needed support for people diagnosed with the condition, as well as their friends and families. And they need all the support they can get as this is a horrific avalanche into anyone's life.

If we don't support the work of the charity, there'll be no hope of finding a treatment or cure of some sort through scientific and medical research. I wish from my heart that no-one, or their family, should ever have to encounter this disease but sadly it can affect anyone.

I've paid for the costs of the trip (food, accommodation etc.) myself, so any donations you make will go directly to the charity for them to spend on their work supporting people affected by the condition and funds into research.

Please think of my sore bum and legs from Wednesday 31st July to Sunday 4th August. If anyone wishes to send me a cake parcel, I'll let you know the address of the hotel ;-) 

And the boring guff:

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.