Charity cycle rides

A charity ride worth supporting

Lyn — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:51:11 +0100

Mark Cramer, one of our wonderful contributors, is cycling from Orleans to Tours, and then on to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe horse race at Longchamp in the Bois de Boulogne, near Paris on the weekend of September 8.

It's a charity ride of around 200km to raise money for research into finding a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (both inflammatory bowel diseases, where the immune system attacks the intestines).

You can read all about the ride here (and sponsor him if you can).

Good luck to Mark and Alan for the ride – keep an eye out for them if you're cycling in around Orleans, Tours or Paris on the weekend of September 8.

You can read some of Mark's writings for us on this blog on bicycle culture in Paris (includes cycling in Paris tips) and his article on the Laval to Renazé greenway in the Loire.

Mediterranean or bust

Lyn — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:04:50 +0100

Ben Winstanley is cycling 800 miles from the north of France to the south to raise money for the Will Mackaness Trust. The trip involve cycling around 100 miles a day, ending after Easter. You can follow his progress on his Mediterranean or bust blog.

The Alps to Ardèche charity ride

Lyn — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:56:11 +0100

The Alps to Ardèche charity ride is a four-night ride from Courchevel le Praz to Lagorce to raise money for the Help for Heroes charity.

Saturday, April 30, 2011.

Cost - around €200 - excludes bikes (which can be hired) and vehicle support.

There is a JustGiving page for the ride

Paris to Montpellier for Alzheimer's Research UK

Lyn — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:59:27 +0100

I've received the following from Rory Brennard, who's riding Paris-Montpellier, starting April 14. Sounds like a great ride.

Cheers

Lyn

**

After last year's exploits of riding the Etape Caledonia – 81miles of Scottish hills – I have decided to have another go at raising some money for a good cause.

So this year, a few friends and I are going to cycle from Paris to Montpellier. Our journey will be starting on April 14 at Gare de Nord station in Paris and finish 5 days and 514 miles (830km) later on the beach in Montpellier. It will involve about 5750m of hill climbing, with 19 category climbs.

This year I will be riding for the Alzheimer's Research UK. This is a charity close to my heart. 5 years ago my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I have learnt over these years what a brutal disease it is. She was in the prime of her life at 70, physically very active, going to the gym 3 times a week and travelling to all corners of the world. Since then her memory has slowly been wiped like a hard drive. With it her ability to function. My mother is like 750,000 other people in the UK who suffer with dementia, this will rise to over 1million by 2025.

Alzheimer's and other dementia related diseases costs the British economy £23bn per year this is more than cancer and heart disease combined. Yet research into the disease is desperately underfunded, 12 times less than cancer and more than 3 times less than heart disease. Only £50m per annum, compared to £590m in cancer.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

They specialise in funding world-class, pioneering research at leading universities to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia. They believe science and innovation hold the key to defeating dementia and invest in the scientists discovering more about the condition and its causes.

All of your donation will be going to the charity, I will be funding the trip myself.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

For my European friends you can also donate on this site paying with a debit or credit card.

So please dig deep and donate now at my Justgiving website

More information on Alzheimer's.

New charity bike ride section

Lyn — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 05:30:57 +0000

We now have a dedicated charity section on the site: www.freewheelingfrance.com/cycling-for-charity/

Articles include:

Input and feedback from charity cyclists most welcome!

Arch to Arc / London to Paris

Lyn — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 05:23:47 +0000

The next Marble Arch to Arc de Trimophe ride in aid of the James Whale Fund, the kidney disease charity, takes place June 23-26, 2011. It's a fully supported four-day ride.

There is space for 50 riders.

Details from the Arch to Arc site.