About

What? We will be taking part in the Prudential Ride 100 cycle a 100 mile bike ride through London to Surrey and back. When? Sunday 10 August a very early start! Where? We will be setting off from the Olympic Park, heading through the City and out into Southwest London over Chiswick Bridge into Richmond Park. From there, we will pass through Kingston-upon-Thames, before crossing Hampton Court Bridge and setting off for the Surrey countryside. At around mile 55, we will take on the biggest ascent on the route - Leith Hill. Thereafter, the route will take us towards Dorking to the next challenge Box Hill. Heading back into London, we will cycle over Putney Bridge to cross the River Thames for the final time. The route then follows the Embankment before crossing Parliament Square and up Whitehall for a finish on The Mall. Why? Completing this ride and striving to complete it in a good time will be a huge personal challenge for the both of us. We are relatively new to long distance sportive cycling, having really only got the bug for cycling from our regular commutes to and from work (which bar Brixton Hill for me, are relatively flat with traffic presenting the biggest challenge!). But in addition to the personal challenge, the ride is aiming this year to become the largest charity fundraising cycling event in the world. We both obtained places in the event without any required commitment to fundraise. However, given the opportunity we have been given to participate in this event, we would like to try and raise as much money as we can for our chosen charity. We are choosing to fundraise for, perhaps, a lesser known and smaller charity Endometriosis UK with the aim of giving something to this organisation which strives to improve the lives of people affected by endometriosis and to decrease the impact it has on those with the condition as well as their families, partners and friends. We are aware of the condition and the effect it can have on day-to-day life but it wasnt until we looked into the work of Endometriosis UK that we realised that Endometriosis actually affects the lives of one in ten women in the UK. As the charity points out, thats over 1.5 million women who are in need support and information to help them understand this chronic condition many of whom go undiagnosed for a number of years. On this note, the charity, with the help of its volunteers, also seeks to raise awareness of endometriosis, and the issues that affect people living with it, among healthcare professionals, people with endometriosis and their families and colleagues, the public and the media. If you would like more information about Endometriosis UK, the cause it supports and its aims and objectives, please click on this link: http://endometriosis-uk.org/about-us There is also a very informative and concise summary of the condition and the effects it can have on page 2 of Endometriosis UKs Annual Report - http://endometriosis-uk.org/sites/default/files/files/Annual-Report-2013.pdf. What you can do We realise that there are a number of charities close to all your hearts and everyone has different reasons for choosing to raise money for their chosen charity for different events, but if you would like to sponsor us, that would be great. All donations, no matter how big or small, are hugely welcomed. In return, we are committed to putting in the training required and really pushing ourselves to not only participate in this event but to complete the ride in the best times that we can. So, thank you for taking the time to read this and if you would like to make a donation, please do so below. Please note! If you do make a donation, we'd really appreciate you letting us know by email or text, because it appears that unless you also have a Givey account, your donation will be anonymous. We'd really like to thank you and keep you updated on our progress too. Jon & Jessica