Garry’s Charity Bike Ride !

Our challenge begins bright and early from Crystal Palace heading south on route to the coast. Our long journey today takes us through rural Kent- the garden of England. Our path winds though traditional British countryside, along the North Downs Way before we reach the white cliffs of Dover. The ferry takes us across to Calais and our first nights resting place. 95 miles (approx)

Day 2: Calais to Abbeville

La belle France! Stunning picturesque countryside awaits us in northern France as we travel south through some beautiful quaint villages- do not be surprised to be greeted with a Bonjour Monsieur/Madame as you cycle through! Cycle through Desvres, a market town known for its ceramics and continue with the windy roads along the valley of the Canche River. The Artois region is amazing with the Spanish influenced town of Hesdin and its tremendous architecture and close proximity to the battle of Agincourt. We spend the night in Abbeville – steeped in history from the war and despite being destroyed in just one night it has managed to retain its beautiful gothic church. 75 miles (approx)

Day 3: Abbeville to Beauvais

Our route this morning follows the river Somme out of Abbeville. The Somme is perhaps most famous for its battles and you cannot fail to be reminded of the thousands who lost their lives in the war. But the Somme is also a Celtic word meaning tranquillity… so summing up the feeling of the day as you cycle through this superb region. After lunch you can enjoy the countryside with a little less ‘undulations’ than previous days. We finish the day in Beauvais where the market square, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, is a true highlight. Several of the houses close to the Cathedral date back from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. 70 miles (approx)

Day 4: Beauvais to Paris

Our final day of cycling and the big push to Paris, our final destination. We are still treated to some stunning countryside including a lovely lunchtime in wooded area next to the River Oise. After lunch we near the outskirts of Paris and you will start to spot the familiar sights of the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine. We rendezvous in a park just north of Paris before joining together to cycle the last miles along some of the famous boulevards. Our finish point can be seen for miles above the Paris skyline and on arrival the celebration can begin! 60 miles (approx)

Day 5: Paris to London

The day is yours to soak up the Parisian way of life, explore the city, and visit the landmarks that only yesterday you were cycling by. We will meet in the afternoon at the Gare du Nord to catch our Eurostar home, arriving at St Pancras where you will be reunited with your bike and commence your onward journey home.

Garry has been in intense training since the turn of the year after completing the Paris Marathon last year in 4hours 22 minutes! He will hope that all the hard work pays off and intends to raise £1,400.00 to which each £1 raised will be matched by Garry’s employers; Yorkshire Bank. Crocodile Trading are extremely proud to be sponsoring Garry and the East Lancs Hospice and are supporting this event by making a significant donation to the Hospice and also providing Garry’s cycling kit. We will be updating our Blog over the coming days giving an insight into Garry’s progress on the bike. The East Lancs Hospice requires around £2.8m per year to operate their service, so please if you can donate we would gratefully appreciate this. You can donate by clicking here: http://www.justgiving.com/Garry-Birchall-London-to-Paris-Bike-Ride-2012.

To whet your appetite here is a lowdown on some of Garry’s best cycles to date:



<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/embedded/110633475"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;48.72 mile Road Cycling on Jul 7, 2012 at 10:39 am&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Manchester, United Kingdom"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Ride in Manchester, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
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<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/embedded/101456385"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;45.47 mile Road Cycling on Jun 10, 2012 at 01:11 pm&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Bolton, United Kingdom"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Ride in Bolton, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
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