We are delighted to announce that our three intrepid cyclists have completed their LONDON TO PARIS - SPONSORED CYCLE RIDE
29th June - 2nd July 2007

THEY HAVE RAISED £5,467.45 (after costs) TOWARDS OUR BEFRIENDING WORK SO FAR ......you can still donate!

To donate now, please follow this link:

www.bmycharity.com/new-bridge

Our Chief Executive, Chris Thomas, gives his account of the event:

Team New Bridge are Go!

Celebrating our arrival at the Eiffel Tower on a warm Paris Sunday seemed like an age from the start of our journey three days earlier. We had learnt a lot on the way; about ourselves, about all the other charities and often inspiring individuals who took part, about how fit we had become and about the true value of padded shorts!

We set off on a cold, wet and windy Friday morning from Crystal Palace Park in South London. Little did we know that the next two hours would be the toughest of the three days cycling ahead. Once out of the Croydon suburbs we had to climb over the North Downs. Constantly blinking away the water in our eyes, trying to concentrate on avoiding the potholes and worrying about the depth of the puddles made it tough enough for any cyclist. Not knowing Surrey was quite so hilly made it tougher. It was not possible to get any wetter than soaked and we were pleased to see the first drinks stop for a top up of water and 'carbs' (biscuits, peanuts, dried fruit and bananas).

As we made the long descent from the Downs and sped across the M25 after an hour and a half of pouring rain, spirits lifted and we started to believe (looking at the sky to the south) that it might stop raining.

We were just three of 125 cyclists taking part in the Challenge, brilliantly organised by Classic Tours. At the frequent stops, lunch breaks and evenings together, we met some amazing people, all with a story to tell. The cyclists were of all ages and abilities; one was hearing impaired, two had prosthetic legs. The youngest, at just 16, was a very talented cyclist and set a blistering pace no one else could match.

One thing Ann, Ben and I have to admit is that we are all highly competitive. We had trained hard for this Challenge for six months and did not like being overtaken! Apart form the 15 or so Lycra clad hard men on carbon framed speed machines; we were always amongst the first to arrive at drink stops and lunch breaks. We each had our role; Ben was the urban specialist, famous for his shouts of "car!" to help us keep to the kerb, Ann was always one of the first two women to finish (and had to be!) and I was daydreaming about wearing the Tour de France 'King of the Mountains' jersey, as all those times slogging up Ditchling Beacon were paying off.

The rain stopped after lunch. The terrain got easier and we rolled into Newhaven at 3.15, in plenty of time to check in for the ferry at 5.00. The crossing to Dieppe takes four hours but after queuing at the cafeteria (they had not reckoned on 125 cyclists demanding chips) and a couple of games of cards, it was time to disembark and cycle round the harbour to our hotel. It was past 1.00am before we could get to sleep.

Cycling in France is a joy. The roads are smooth, the traffic sparse and the drivers have far more respect for riders. Heading through small villages, past orchards and fields, the second day was so much easier than the first. My cycle computer was set to kilometres; Ben's was recording the journey in miles. We passed the 100 mile mark during the afternoon - luckily on a long downhill. Members of Team New Bridge were (by coincidence rather than design) all around the same level of fitness and never more than a couple of minutes apart.

Newhaven was 90k from Crystal Palace and our hotel at Gournay-en-Bray was 79k from Dieppe. It was good to unwind and wander into town for a drink before dinner.

Any feeling of quiet satisfaction at our progress so far was dashed by the Tour Manager at the briefing after dinner. "Tomorrow is the hardest day" he began. "We have to complete 115k to Paris and we will not stop for lunch until will have completed 70k. The weather forecast is poor, we expect rain so have your waterproofs with you. You should also expect some hard climbs. Have your bags ready for collection by 6.30, we will leave at 7.30". Rather than sit around for a few more drinks, most people headed straight to bed.

The weather forecast was wrong. The final day got sunnier and warmer. We had to battle against strong wind but they were not wrong about the climbs. I learnt a lot about cycling etiquette on the final day, particularly about the art of slipstreaming and taking turns to do the hard work at the front of the pack. On a long climb, it is so much easier if you tuck in behind someone's rear wheel - as long as you are prepared to have your turn taking the strain.

Excitement grew as Paris got nearer. After a quick stop at St Germain we re-grouped at the Bois de Boulogne ready for the final push. As ever, Team New Bridge had to be at the front and we were in the first group of 25 to reach Trocadero and sprint to the Eiffel Tower. Tired but elated, we posed for photographs, had a plastic cup of champagne and later enjoyed a good meal and a good night's sleep.

It was a wonderful experience - highly recommended. It was a great way to get fit, meet like minded people, enjoy the best of Southern England and Normandy and above all, raise lots of money for New Bridge.

Team New Bridge would like to thank Polaris for their generous donation of Polaris clothing.

New Bridge is looking for cyclists for next year's London to Paris, 27th to 30th June 2008. If you think you can rise to the challenge and raise some cash to support our vital work, please contact us at Medway Street.

Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2007
Hyde Park - Sunday 16th September

One of our volunteers, Alison Carter, took part in the above event to raise funds for New Bridge. She completed a 5k course and so far has already raised £1,044.76 (after costs) ........ you can still donate!

Alison gives her account of the event below:

On Sunday 16th September, World and Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar cruised to an easy win in the Hydro Active Women's Challenge 5k road race in London's Hyde Park.

She was followed by 15,000 women. I was one of them.

Having never done any sporting event in my life, ever, it was quite a big event for me. I was one of those teenagers who opted for collecting litter from the school sports field smoking fags, rather than participating in PE.

I started running this summer, but lacking in discipline I signed up for the run to give myself a target, and also to take the opportunity to raise some money for New Bridge. I used the Nike Training schedule over 6 weeks and was surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it and raised over £1,000 for New Bridge.

It was amazing to be amongst so many women running together and raising money for so many charities. It was quite emotional reading all the tributes to people women were running for, or in memory of. Next time I need a New Bridge T-Shirt!

To donate now please follow this link:

www.bmycharity.com/new-bridge

Please note there is a small handling cost incurred from bmycharity