With his sixtieth birthday rapidly approaching, Richard Foster decided to set himself a challenge – to cycle 800 miles from his home in Chorleywood to the South of France in aid of charity. He sets off next month and while he is pedalling cross country, wife Kathy will be following in the family car, carrying tent and provisions and stopping off en route daily to paint the French landscape. Richard is currently in his final weeks of training and Kathy has completed picture Number One which records the Ride starting point, Chorleywood!
“The germ of the idea to cycle from Hertfordshire to the French Mediterranean coast came to me when we were staying in our shared holiday home in Portiragnes.” says Richard, “After a couple of glasses of red wine it seemed like a good idea and a great way to see France whilst taking on the physical challenge of a long bike ride. I decided to make it a fund raiser for Dr Hadwen Trust, a non-animal medical research charity that Kathy and I support.
I have planned my route to take me via Chorleywood’s twin town Dardilly where I will break my journey for a day or so. Other than that we will be camping – Kathy has volunteered to drive each day to a camp-site and intends to record the journey with paintings.
I will be kitted out with spare parts and cycling essentials including a pot of ‘butt shield’ – recommended for avoiding saddle sores and friction burns! I will be covering between 40 and 50 miles a day and it should take about three weeks so if all goes to plan I should get there in time for my birthday on 10 June.”
Cue more bottles of vin rouge.
Richard’s cycling challenge is supported by Brittany Ferries
*Dr Hadwen Trust (DHT) funds and promotes non-animal research to make contributions to advance medical science without harming animals. DHT has funded over 150 research projects in medical research including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, kidney, heart and liver disease.
http://www.justgiving.com/owner-email/pleasesponsor/Richard-Foster12