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Monday 3 June 2013

We're Off!


The planning is over, our training is complete and we’ve exceeded our fundraising target, raising an incredible £12 402.20 so far.  All we have to do now is cycle from London to Paris in four days and we can’t wait.

Over the last couple of weeks every team member has pushed their training as far as they could, prior to tapering and allowing our bodies to recover before the grand depart.  We’ve had our bikes serviced by the fine folks at Dales Cycles, bought our energy supplies and tested our new team kit produced by Endura.
 


This time tomorrow we’ll all be in Crystal Palace steeling ourselves for the journey, so all that’s left to do is thank all of our generous sponsors.





Team ‘Get to France’ for Prostate Cancer UK would like to thank;

Combined Pumps Ltd

Siempre Bicycle Cafe

Dales Cycles

Skyelume

Endura

RayZor

Virgin Trains

Garry Hay of Kilmarnock FC

Sir Chris Hoy

Most of all we would like to thank to our families, friends and other supporters who are too numerous to mention.  Your support and patience during our extended training runs and your generosity are all very much appreciated.  We hope we do you and Prostate Cancer UK proud.

We’ll update the Blog as and when we can, giving you tales of daring do (?) and no doubt stories of ensuing nonsense!

If you’ve not donated as yet there is still plenty of time and we’d really appreciate any sponsorship towards this great cause.

 


Stay tuned and many thanks again.
Andy

http://www.justgiving.com/teams/gettofrance



 
Training with a fat boy breakfast.



 

Saturday 11 May 2013

Four weeks to Four Days

Four weeks today team “Get To France” for Prostate Cancer UK will be on the final leg of our journey spinning our legs into Paris.

Wow what has happened? Time just seems to have disappeared.
 
As the Grand Depart in London looms in just over 3 weeks, there's plenty of excitement and some nerves within the team. That said with the miles we have put in individually and as a team, coupled with spin classes and James hammering the track at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome we will be ship shape as we line up on the start ramp. First of all, I’d like to give you a wee update on how the team members are shaping up.

Ewan is still nursing his knee injury which is improving, as he manages his efforts and recovery to maximise his fitness without hampering his chances of further injury.  Training runs of 60 miles pose no problems now.  Ewan was like a kid in a sweet shop when he got his hands on his team kit this week, excited does not began to describe how he's feeling.

John continues to batter the miles, he completed three training sessions in 24 hours with two cycle runs exceeding 90 miles which sandwiched a very tough spin class that focused on climbing technique and threshold efforts.  John has had no more issues with stray dogs and continues to share his own version of wisdom(?) - thus keeping team up team moral. Great effort!

James has taken to the track like a duck to water; this guy has calf muscles that would make a pro cyclist blush.  The power James puts down as we push hard intervals on the road is tremendous and his overall speed is improving as he spends more time on the track.  The rest of us are going to need motors to keep up!  Robert said “James is unstoppable; he just keeps going at that speed whether we’re on the flat or on a hill”.

Robert continues to improve week by week, the quite man of the team must be confident of how he’ll perform during the event.  Robert has very quickly become confident riding in a group and looks like he’s been putting in big miles on a bike for many years.  Over the last week alone he completed three big days on the bike, back to back as well as those torturous spin classes.

As for myself I’m just recovering from a chest infection, a combination of training in wet and windy weather, coupled with maybe doing a wee bit too much resulted in me getting antibiotics prescribed for the first time in about 20 years!  And no before you ask it was not man flu.....
 
Now that I have recovered I’m back spinning my legs with the guys, last weekend we completed a double header, two big days at event pace taking in all sorts of terrain.

Robert is not really a guy you hear curse or swear, however I managed to squeeze and expletive or two from him during our first run.  We headed north of the River Clyde and took in some hills training near to Loch Lomond, before I led the guys through Alexandria and Renton.   We took a right turn onto the Carman Road which links Renton with Cardross, this hill is a real lung and leg buster with a 17% gradient.  As Robert rounded the corner I looked back to see the horror on his face as he shouted “Ya bastard, you didn’t tell us we were going up there” so before he could continue I scurried off, spinning my legs in a low gear with a steady cadence.  On reaching the top I stopped, regained my composure and steadied my breathing.  James arrived next and hoped off his bike glaring at me, before grinning and calling me a sicko.

Robert appeared soon after with his calfs burning as he had to walk the last bit of the climb, he avoided falling off as his pace slowed almost to a standstill by grabbing hold of a road sign.  Good effort guys, we’ll not be tackling any hills of that duration and gradient during the event, although I know I’ll be in for a kicking at some point.

With the team taking our training seriously, we’ll also look the part throughout the event with our custom jerseys which we designed and had made by Endura.  Endura are based in Livingstone, Scotland and supply cyclists of all abilities with top quality gear.  We used their online kit designer and contacted Endura’s custom clothing team who made the process straight forward providing advice and a professional customer focussed service.
 
Prostate Cancer UK approved the use of their official logo, whilst our corporate sponsors took pride of place being displayed prominently on our jerseys.




The jerseys we bought aren’t cheap, but they are not expensive when you consider the quality and that they are handmade here in Scotland.  They're sized for normal people, unlike more expensive Italian brands, whilst providing all the comfort and technical features needed.  As for the rest of the clothing we’ll be using on the trip, Endura very kindly sold us bib shorts and high visibility jackets at a generous discount, as well as providing a couple of prizes for our charity auction.  Thanks to all at Endura, a great Scottish company helping the efforts of keen amateurs raising money for charity. 

http://www.endura.co.uk/


 
 
Before I get too carried away pretending that we’re readying ourselves for Le Tour de France, I’d like to remind everyone why we’re doing this.  We are raising much needed funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re thrilled that John and his friends have decided to take on this ultimate summer adventure to help raise funds for our work. This is the latest in a number of amazing challenges that John has led, turning his experience into a positive force. As well as raising money, John has been a strong ambassador of the charity by helping to raise awareness of our recent campaigns including helping to encourage men to engage with physical activity through his involvement with our Get up and Go project.

 Every year, over 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK - and it is a disease which kills one man every hour. We’re fighting prostate cancer on every front - through research, support, information and campaigning. Every penny raised will go towards our work supporting men and their families affected by prostate cancer. We wish the team the best of luck in their brave challenge.”

John, 55, from Renfrewshire said: “This is going to be an enormous challenge but one we’re all really looking forward to it. We’re a little anxious but very excited to be taking part and just hope that all the training will pay off. This is a great challenge and we are all delighted to be able to use it to raise awareness and much needed money to help the fight against prostate cancer.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK. Over 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK and 250,000 men are currently living with the disease in the UK. One man dies every hour from prostate cancer. If you have any queries about prostate cancer, call Prostate Cancer UK’s confidential Specialist Nurse Helpline 0800 074 8383 which open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and Wednesdays from 7 - 9pm or visit www.prostatecanceruk.org

We have already surpassed our fundraising target and have raised £11.4k so far, which is amazing and we need to thank everyone who has sponsored out team and contributed. We hope to increase this total as sponsorship that has been promised has yet to come in.

If you have not sponsored us yet please spare what you can, or if you have promised sponsorship and haven’t paid up yet – we know where you live........

To sponsor team "Get to France" visit: www.justgiving.com/teams/gettofrance
 
 
A training run to Dunoon and beyond.
 





 
 
Thanks again to everyone for all your support and encouragement we really appreciate it.



Cheers,
Andy

Tuesday 9 April 2013

The Anxiety Attack

It’s all getting a bit real now. We’ve had the fundraising night, we’ve had our photos in the paper, we’ve upped the miles (not enough) and now it’s definitely starting to loom… we really are going to have to do this.
Cycling from London to Paris didn’t seem like much of a thing, back in the Autumn. A hundred miles a day? No problem.
But there’s an anxiety that crept up on me during the last training session. It sort of seeped out the right pedal, along my little toe (the one I broke once, falling off a gate in Cornwall once upon a time), up my leg … and settled on the outside of my right knee. At mile 45 it was uncomfortable. At 47, it was time to stop. It was like an angry mole was burrowing out the side of my leg with a rubber spoon. A dull, persistent throb.
That night, Sunday, I sat watching the football with a bag of Tesco’s finest mixed frozen veg strapped to my knee and a mournful, old man face on. The kids thought I’d gone mad. “Mummy, Daddy’s got carrots on his knee..."

A later visit to the physio.
 
 
 
And not enough of them, for how sore it was. I watched Messi run around playing for Barcelona, thinking, I bet this doesn’t happen to you Leo, I bet nobody sticks processed frozen veg on your expensive knees.
Apparently, according to the Internet, the pain in the knee stems from an Incorrect Cleat Position. There’s very little in the way of information as to what a correct position would be. Trial and painful error seems to be the way forward.
But my point is this: I didn’t quite manage 50 miles on Sunday. In 8 weeks, we’ll be spinning off into the unknown doing double that. And the same again the next day. And the next…
So what keeps us going?
Well there’s nothing more cheering, as a member of a team, than knowing you’re among similarly crazy people. Take our unofficial figurehead and inspiration John, although I’ll get in to trouble for mentioning him without mentioning the others (“I’m not the bl**dy story, Ewan, stop trying to make me the story…”).
 
 
I might have been worrying about the bendy bit in the middle of my leg on Sunday, but at least I wasn’t on a one man mission to vent the Fury of Ages upon unsuspecting dog walkers.
One hapless Sunday morning pet stroller, who, it must be said, could have had better control of her animal, was presented with John full-force, as he had to swerve (angrily) to avoid certain disaster with her bounding dug.
He said quite a few angry words. The best bit was, the angrier he got, the funnier it became. And hence-forth, he was rechristened Angry of Renfrewshire. (Go on, tell him that’s what brakes are for, I dare you…)
It’s now our mission to visit that fury on the unsuspecting people of France.
And I thought we needed to worry about being unprepared!
Thanks for your support.
Ewan.
 
 
 


Angry shows his soft side breaking into a smile!


 
James and Robert were hanging about in hope as the passengers alighted this bus at Loch Lomond.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

From Interlude to Intervals.


Since we last posted our training and fund raising has continued at pace with each team member securing donations and sponsorship whilst promoting Prostate Cancer UK,  none more so than our team captain John Malcolm.  John has attended and spoken at nine Burns Suppers this year, eight of which resulted in donations, some considerable.
John said: “Not only is it great that we are getting donations and sponsorship towards this great charity the fact that Prostate Cancer awareness has been raised and highlighted at Burns Suppers means a lot, especially given the age of those in attendance, these guys need to know that help and support is out there should they ever need it.”

Two standout contributions came from, Ayr Roundtable who donated a whooping £1000.00 and Bishopton Loyal Rangers Supporters Club who kindly collected £365.00 at their Burns Supper. 
We would like to thank all of those who have taken time to read this blog and of course everyone who has made donations towards the cause.  I have been really surprised by the amount of people who have been affected by Prostate Cancer.

For example, John Carruthers a Scots lad who’s a director at Skyelume. John said “We have been following your Get to France Blog and we’re very impressed.   I have spoken to my fellow Directors here and on behalf of all at Skyelume we would like to offer you £500 sponsorship. Fighting prostate cancer is a cause close to our hearts.”
Skyelume are a quality and luxury lighting specialist based in Dubai, UAE and we are very pleased to have them as a corporate sponsor.  Thanks guys!

As a team we all felt that it was necessary to concentrate on our fund raising efforts at this time of year, so that we may be able to spend more time on our bikes as the London to Paris event approaches. That said we’ve not been sitting on our laurels and the base fitness training has continued.

John headed off to Lanzarote on holiday, although he told us it was a winter training camp, however when questioned by his team mates John protested “Contrary to popular belief I did not have gin in my water bottle” and  “I did more than work on my tan, I hired a bike and spun my legs along the coast”. 

The rest of us have continued with regular attendance at spin classes, with most of us taking part in 2 or 3 classes a week. A particular highlight is the class on a Thursday night at Ralston, where our instructor Ricky puts us through our paces and then some.  Everyone taking part leaves looking jelly legged and exhausted, whilst grinning at surviving.

The jury was out on Johns “Training Camp” until our team training ride on Sunday the 3rd of March, when James, John, Robert and myself met early at the Red Smiddy roundabout, Inchinnan and set off along the Georgetown Road towards Houston.  We got into a mini chain gang and got our legs spinning briskly on this grey cold morning. The road surfaces were really greasy and damp with the usual assortment of winter grime, salt and diesel oil, so we had to have our wits about us concentrating on our line, road position and of course the traffic. 

 It was great to see so many other cyclists out on the road and we got a big cheer from a group of Glasgow Couriers Cycling Club who were heading in the opposite direction at pace.  Just as we were getting our chain gang going at a good old clip I heard a loud click, I didn’t realise what it was it the time but John had just gone up through his gears and the next thing I knew he had broken ranks and was sprinting for the 30mph sign.  Robert stuck to his back wheel like a “snotter”, both leaving me and James for dead, John was in the virtual green “sprinters” jersey for the day and he loved it.

 Once we regained our composure and discipline we continued from Houston to Bridge of Weir working on our group riding with each rider taking their turn on the front, driving the team on and keeping the pace constant.  Each rider is becoming more comfortable with their team mates and their abilities on the bike.  That said Robert who has just fitted SPD pedals to his bike for the first time did forget to clip out on a couple of occasions when he came to a stop.  This provided a few giggles for the rest of us even though we’ve all been there! 
Robert said: “I’m still getting used to my new pedals and I’v got the skinned shin to prove it, I need to learn to clip out when I stop so that I don’t keep falling over.”

Our route then ascended the Torr Road  and onto the Kilmacolm to Lochwinnoch Road, where James was setting the pace and climbing well, Robert was showing he was no slouch and put in a more than convincing interval all the way to the top, he was evidently enjoying being out on his new road bike. 

On this steep climb John showed his true colours, he climbed with a conviction and confidence that only someone who has put in the effort and miles over the winter can, his pace would have shamed guys half his age, not even taking into account that this guy is continuing the fight against cancer. John was showing why he’s provided his team mates with inspiration to get to France. Top effort!!

Once at the top we continued over the rolling terrain passing another couple of cyclists who were out spinning their legs, we were all going well when typically John got a rear wheel puncture due to the shocking state of the road surface which slowed our excellent progress.  We hoped this would provide a wee bit of recovery prior to our next section of intervals, but the weather had other ideas and as the rain tipped down in stair rods which was painful on exposed skin (read bald heads under vented helmets) as we descended into Lochwinnoch.





From Lochwinnoch we turned north on cycle route 7 and worked as a team getting up to a decent threshold speed.  This cycle track is relatively flat and is of course traffic free apart from other cyclists and those walking, it’s surface is tarmac and in much better condition than the roads, which allowed us to concentrate on our cycling form and pace and gave us a good measure of our current levels of fitness. 

 We arrived in Kilmacolm and met Ewan who had cycled from Bishopton over the West Glen, this seemed like the perfect time for a team meeting (ie: coffee and cake). 


















Ewan was suffering due to his consumption of a libation or two the previous evening, however there was no letting up and we continued at pace, retracing our route to Bridge of Weir, then Houston before heading along the Barrochan Road to Bishopton and home. 




Everyone was pleased with the day’s efforts. John said: “Today's run proves that our fitness levels are good for this time of year. Riding at an average of 21mph from Kilmacolm to Bridge of Weir is great stuff”.


 Siempre Bicycle Cafe

On Friday the 8th of March we held a charity night at Siempre Bicycle Cafe, Dumbarton Road, in Partick.  The owners Kirsteen and Cal couldn’t have done more for us. They were fabulous hosts. We about 60 people turn up on the night and support “Get To France” for Prostate Cancer UK. We hope you all enjoyed your buffet and beer!
My highlight of the evening was cheering everyone on as they had a blast on our static spin bike, sprinting for 30 seconds to see who could go the furthest.  A very well done to Lauren and Bob who won the competition, both with some ease!! (More training needed by the team eh lads...)
We have to give a special thanks to Garry Hay of Kilmarnock Football Club who donated one of his away shirts which he had signed by the current first team squad, as well as Sir Chris Hoy who donated a signed Olympic team t-shirt.  Both were auctioned raising much needed funds. Thanks guys, you’re both true professional sportsmen supporting our amateur endeavour. 

The evening boosted our fund raising coffers by £1,200, wow, we were all really overwhelmed by all the support we’ve received.
Any cyclists who are in the area please drop into the cafe which is next to Kelvinhall underground station. You bring your bike inside and rack it near to your table, where you’ll find a selection of cake, coffee and healthy food stuffs as you relax with the chilled vibe. The cafe extends into the shop offering repairs and quality cycling products for sale, it’s well worth a visit.

Thanks for your continued support and if you can please donated on our just giving page:

Next up on our Blog Ewan’s view...  stay tuned.
                 Steven Smith receiving his signed Kilmarnock FC jersey from James.

Saturday 9 February 2013

Foundation Fitness and Fundraising


This month we are aiming to set solid foundations in both our fitness and fundraising.

Over the last couple of weeks our training has been dictated by work and weather, however a bad day for training can be a good day for fundraising. James and I have sent out dozens of emails to local and national businesses in the hope than they will sponsor our team.  Combined Pumps Ltd, an Aberdeen based engineering firm have made a very generous donation, Graeme Horne, the machine shop manager said "regarding your plans we at Combined Pumps Ltd are very interested in sponsoring you and helping to raise funds for such a worthwhile cause. I have spoken with the MD and I can confirm that we would like to sponsor your charity cycle ride by donating £1000."
Wow, what a great start and our first corporate sponsor!

John is a keen after dinner speaker who has a passion for the work of our national Bard - Robert Burns.  John said " this is my busiest time of the year speaking at numerous Burns Suppers", being a cannae lad John has been promoting our team "Get To France" and our efforts for Prostate Cancer UK.  John said "I had a great night at Clydebank Bowling Club and their Burns Supper, the club members were really supportive and encouraging - thanks for the donation."

Our family and friends have also been keen (insert persuaded!) to bolster our fundraising efforts John and James have been particularly successful in this endeavour.
Have a look at our fundraising page and follow our progress and please give if you can:
http://www.justgiving.com/teams/gettofrance

Our great Scottish winter weather can be described as character building, lets face it if you can get the miles in during the days when it's freezing cold with that horizontal driving rain soaking you too the core then France in June sounds heavenly.  One of our winter training staples is riding the track that extends between Glasgow and the River Clyde to Balloch and the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.  This is a generally flat route made up of tarmac and hard standing tow paths running adjacent to the Forth and Clyde Canal, we've been using our mountain bikes, not because they're needed on this terrain, but because they offer a wee bit more rolling resistance in our efforts to build cycling strength whilst compressing our training into short days again governed by work, weather and day light.  The weather hasn't all been wet and wild though and Robert took advantage of a bright and dry day on Saturday 26 January, heading north on this route towards Loch Lomond. Robert said " I had my first 'off' on an icy corner, I nearly fell into the River Leven but not quite, all that was really hurt was my pride as I nursed my tender behind!!"  You can imaging he got a lot of sympathy from his fellow team mates, each to a man asking "Did you damage your bike?  No, what are you crying about?"

Meanwhile James is training by using his daily commute from Glasgow's west end to the city centre on his mountain bike and has even found time to fit in three spin classes last week as well.  James said "My training hasn't hit full flow yet, but it's coming on".



John, Robert and I have been attending spin classes at the various venues provided by Renfrewshire Leisure.  Robert said "the spin classes at Ralston on Thursday nights are painful on the night, but beneficial on the road runs at weekends. I've never broken sweat so much in my life!!  The heart monitor is working a treat - no heart attacks yet - and I'm getting to grips with managing my heart rate and effort, both on spin bikes and out on the road.  I didn't realise that cycling could be so technical!!"
John has been looking further ahead already by taking advantage of January sales and buying himself a new set of wheels, Mavic rims on Hope hubs, very nice.  They're still tucked away in a box as John bashes out the miles on his mountain bike during steady training runs of about 30 miles on our stomping ground between Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm.

We continue to meet for group training rides as and when we can, this has been somewhat hampered for Ewan and myself as we work shifts and have both dealt with "Man Flu" this winter.  We're still getting out for a spin as and when we can, I'm sure our individual and combined efforts will pay off as we "Get to France".



To help increase and continue our fundraising the good folks at Seimpre Bicycle Cafe, 162 Dumbarton Road, Partick in Glasgow are kindly hosting a charity night for "Get To France" and Prostate Cancer UK.  It'll take place on Friday 8th of March giving us a chance to say thanks to all of those who have supported us so far and an provide a further opportunity to raise some more funds for our worthwhile cause.  We've got some great raffle prizes and goodies to auction lined up, so stay tuned for more information and if you'd like to come send us an email at the above address.

Please continue to follow our fundraising and training progress and donate towards our cause for Prostate Cancer UK.

Thanks,
Andy

The hard work starts


On the 1st of January John, Robert, Ewan and I met at 10am and began training, setting off from the Red Smiddy Roundabout at Inchinnan.  Our pace was steady and as we headed down the Georgetown Road to Houston, it was clear early on that the excesses of the Christmas period had taken their toll, even though not one of us had a hangover!  Given the time of the year the weather was suprisingly decent on our run down Cycle Route 7 to Castle Semple at Lochwinnoch where we stopped to discuss training tactics.  This lasted all of a minute before Robert produced minatures for us to toast 2013 and our fundraising efforts for Prostate Cancer UK.  John had previously informed us that he was not partaking in any alcohol consumption until we got to France, assuming that we were going to have a drink, however Robert handed out wee bars of  chocolate to fuel us on our return journey and we had toasted 2013 with our water bottles!  Having cooled off quickly we decided to follow the same route home so we had a performance marker to measure ourselves against as we continue training, Ewan and I sat on at the front with John and Robert following our wheels at a good steady 16mph.  On returning to the Red Smiddy it was clear our fitness levels didn't match the pace we want to accomplish - it's going to be a long hard slog this winter.


Throughout the last couple of weeks we have all managed to train on our own out on the road and attend the "beastings" that are spin classes.  We have also been joined on the road by other cycling buddies who are keen to help us in out training efforts, one of whom is James Blest. I met him at another friend's 40th Birthday party where we got talking about our plans for the forthcoming year.  I mentioned Get To France and straight away James intimated his interest.
He didn't take much convincing - now he is the fifth member of the team.


James said: "As with many people, cancer has affected my family with my Grandmother, Aunt and an Uncle dying of the disease."
"Knowing my cycling buddy John and seeing his unwavering positive attitude is an inspiration to me and I am honoured to have the opportunity to help raise funds for such a worthwhile cause!"
"As for our trip to France, I am looking forward to it immensely...it's a great opportunity to turn the pedals with existing friends, whilst making new ones along the way."
"It's going to be a real challenge but one which we all take on with relish...lets raise lots for Prostate Cancer UK and have fun along the way."
 "We will....GET TO FRANCE!"
http://www.justgiving.com/James-Blest


Please continue to follow our training and fundraising progress and feel free to give us some training tips and encouragement on this blog.
At the risk of sounding like another cancer surviving cyclist "Every Penny Counts".

Please spare what you can for Prostate Cancer UK and Get To France.
http://www.justgiving.com/teams/gettofrance

Andy

Monday 14 January 2013

The challenge...


This summer, a group of mates from Renfrewshire are cycling more than 500 miles in just four days, from London to Paris in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.
http://prostatecanceruk.org/

We hope to raise £10,000.

It’s going to be tough - we’re not exactly spring chickens, and we’re not used to training like Britian’s most decorated Olympian Sir Chris Hoy or Tour de France champion Sir Bradley Wiggins.

But we do have our reasons for taking on the challenge.

Take John
Just three years ago, at 52, John was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent eight and a half weeks of treatment at the West of Scotland Cancer Treatment Centre, The Beatson.
John said: “What a wonderful place filled with skilled and caring people. The treatment was a new at the time and involved a high dose of radiotherapy but specifically targeted by means of gold seed implants.
“The treatment was funded by The Prostate Cancer Charity, now Prostate Cancer UK.
“I also found the helpline provided free to all patients and their families by the charity to be excellent.
“You can imagine the raft of questions that you come up with after such a diagnosis.”
Fast forward just a few short years, and John has decided to give something back to the cause which changed his life.
“After treatment I decided to "give something back" to the charity and became involved in the Tour of Britain stages events. I rode the London event 14 weeks after my last treatment I have since became involved in the Quality Care Everywhere Campaign and the Get Up and Go which is a campaign to encourage patients that life goes on after cancer and that regular hard exercise can reduce the risk of a recurrence by up to 70%.  “I've embraced this philosophy, challenged myself and encouraged my friends to join me.”
http://www.justgiving.com/John-Malcolm

So how did "Get to France" start?

As most things do in Scotland it involved a drink and a bit of bravado.
A semi-sober agreement between John and Robert at a barbeque over a dram quickly took on a life of its own.

Robert said: "I've been a friend of John’s for as long as I care to remember, he's just six months younger than me."
"John is always so positive and such an upbeat person."
“But when he told me about his cancer I could see it had really scared him and I have to admit it scared the hell out of me too."
“Just a couple of months after John got his diagnosis, another friend of mine, who is two years younger than me was diagnosed with prostate cancer as well."
“I thought if these guys can end up with prostate cancer, it can happen to any of us.”
That uncomfortable realisation spurred Robert into action.
He added: “This time last year my New Year’s resolution was to get out on my bike and improve my own health. I would never have dreamed of tackling Erskine to Glasgow on a bike - let alone London to Paris.
“But the prospect of being able to raise some cash for Prostate Cancer UK has certainly focused the mind and I am looking forward to the challenge. No doubt the training will intensify in the coming months but it will be well worth it.”
www.justgiving.com/RobertBarbour

Now John and Robert will be joined on the challenge by cycling buddies, Andy and Ewan.

Ewan said: “From the age of eight I was brought up by my granddad, the bravest man I ever met.
“He died after a long, difficult battle with prostate cancer, and didn’t get to meet my amazing daughters, his two granddaughters. He would have loved them.
“More research into the disease and better treatment for patients might change that for other families in the future, which seems like a good reason to me.
“Plus, cycling to Paris sounds really difficult, and quite cool. I like the sound of that.”
http://www.justgiving.com/gettofrance

Andy said: “As for me, my mum’s better half, Terry, is suffering from prostate cancer, as did my cycling buddy John. Terry and John always have a positive outlook which has inspired me to start this year on a positive note and raise some money for a very worthwhile charity whilst enjoying a sport I love.
“As a balding 40 year-old, carrying the obligatory “Christmas Belly" and very much the MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra). It's not a pretty sight.
“So with spirits high and our aim clear it's time for us to do some training and fund raising and GET TO FRANCE.”
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Jack


How can you help?

Prostate Cancer continues to kill one man in Britain every hour of every day.
The work of Prostate Cancer UK is vital in providing that quality care everywhere.
For every Cancer patient there are many more Cancer sufferers.
We would ask for sponsorship to support Prostate Cancer UK.

Please follow our efforts on this blog as we aim for Paris, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you can, DONATE SOME CASH.

You'll see we each have a link to a just giving page, you can either sponsor us individually or by using the link to our team page:
http://www.justgiving.com/teams/gettofrance


The mechanics of completing such an event incur some costs, we are using Skyline event management who are an established company who organise charity fundraising events.
We have each paid £99 non refundable deposit to take part in this event.
Skyline will then receive a fee in the region of £500 for each participant, hence we are working our socks off training, fundraising and spreading the word about prostate cancer and the support that's available from Prostate Cancer UK in an effort to raise £10,000 so that they can continue their sterling work.

More details can be found at http://www.skylineoverseas.co.uk/cycle-paris.aspx