Climbing mountains for Hospiscare
A group of friends from Exeter will embark on a cycle ride at the end of May that will cover over 1,000 miles between two famous landmarks while raising money for a local charity.
Andy Rowe, Brian Moore, Keith Chapman, Anthony Towl and Jamie Howard will complete the 11-day Paris to Rome ride in a bid to raise £4,000 for Hospiscare.
The friends will begin on Sunday 26 May at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and finish on 5 June at the Coliseum in Rome.
The route will include 100,000 feet of climbing taking in the famous Tour de France mountains, Galibier and Izoard.
48-year-old Andy Rowe said: “Everyone keeps saying ‘You must be mad to want to cycle the mountains but to us it will be one of the highlights of the challenge because of the scenery and the satisfaction of getting to the top of them.”
The men have been training hard during the past few months in preparation for the challenge completing around 250 miles a week on their bikes.
Andy said that a local business has kept them going while they have been out in wind, rain, snow and hail, offering the friends a welcome respite after their hard work.
He said: “Our mains sponsors are Exeter Cycles. Dave Rogerson the owner has been absolutely brilliant; he’s offered to give us free bike spares, he’s servicing our bikes free of charge, and every time we go for a ride and we stop at his Cafe down at the quay for his superb coffee and cakes.”
The group are self-funding the trip donating all of the money they raise to Hospiscare. They have so far raised £2,500 and are confident that they will reach their target of £4,000 for the charity.
Andy said: “Hospiscare is a charity close to our hearts. Brian is a musician and a music teacher and he used to organise the dream band concert at the Barnfield Theatre once a year to raise money for Hospiscare. So Brian said "Why not do this for Hospiscare?"
“It’s surprising how many people say ‘it’s a really good local charity, I’ve had family members go through there’ and that’s why we know we’re supporting a great charity.”
Despite the fact that the friends, aged between 36 and 48, are all experienced cyclists, Andy said that they know there could be hazards along the way.
He said: “The main hazard is traffic – especially Italian drivers in Rome!”
The group will be uploading photos and reports during the ride to a blog which has been set up by Brian Moore.
To follow their progress visit http://p2r2013.blogspot.co.uk/ or to sponsor the Paris to Rome ride visit www.justgiving.com/teams/p2r.
