Cycle ride

London to Paris

July 2007

Dave Powell signed up for a cycling trip from London to Paris with friends, and used it as an opportunity to raise sponsorship for a charity of his choosing. He selected the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund as he was keen to support more research into diagnosing and treating the disease. He told us, "My father was diagnosed only a week before he died in 2006, despite having suffered for many, many months beforehand." Matt Fletcher was part of the team and also raised money for the charity.

Despite a delayed ferry crossing due to bad weather, which reduced the cycling time available, Dave was very positive about the trip. "So there we have it - cycled to Paris on a push bike - and lived to tell the tale. A wonderful three day experience and can't wait to do it again (OK - so that's a fib). Basically, we had a fantastic time. Total distance covered was just short of 170 miles, about 30 less than originally planned due to the ferry crossing problems. Would happily do it again, but have heard Matt muttering about the next challenge being to cycle The Alps (you're having a laugh fellah!).

Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way. The sponsorship has gone far better than I could have possibly hoped."

Matt wrote "The good news is that my backside doesn't hurt as much as I was expecting, and the bad news is that my knees are sore and thighs pretty stiff. I also forgot to put any sun cream on my legs, so I have these large, ridiculous sunburn patches where my cycling shorts end. It will be days before I can go out in public wearing shorts."