Safe and sound

The Arc de Triomf offered a minimal amount of shade from the afternoon sun, but the three cyclers were relieved to reach it nonetheless. Tom Carlton, Laurence Harvey, and Danny Shearing crossed the finish line under the Arc after having ridden 1,000 miles by bike in the name of cancer research.

“The ride was about as we had anticipated,” said Tom, enjoying a celebratory glass of cava. “We expected the Pyrenees to be much more difficult, but we managed okay.”

Okay indeed. The ride took the three from Dover through France andon to here, with most days averaging 75 miles and the longest day seeing them cover a total of 89 miles. Two days of rain, one broken spoke, and two crashes later, they have arrived in Barcelona with the tan lines and stronger leg muscles to show for it, not to mention almost 1,500 pounds to donate to the Bobby Moore Cancer Fund.

None of the men trained extensively for the trip, as the three were already fit from playing a good amount of football and tennis. Having gained camaraderie, 450 snapshots of beautiful scenery and a positive way to stay in shape, all three riders are considering similar feats in the future.

“The other night we sat down and voted on our top 10 favourite memories from the trip,” Tom added. The well-deserved winner was the spill Laurence took off his bike while attempting to apply sun cream,

with a passing police car to boot. No serious injuries were sustained – or severe sunburns, despite the fall – and the arrival in Barcelona was right on schedule. We’ll call that a successful little bike ride, with big benefits.