Jake Presley, Freddie Fitz-Gibbon, Hugo Gateley, Fred Evans, Louis Timpany and Andy Wilson embarked on a charity bike ride from London to Paris to raise funds for CRY. This is a personal charity to Jake as his Grandfather was the first ever Chairman of CRY.
The cyclists left the London Eye at 7.15am on Friday 9th July, and within 20 minutes one of them had a puncture! However, despite the temperature getting hotter and hotter by the minute they arrived in Folkestone by 5.00pm. They took the 7.30am ferry to Calais on Saturday and over the next two days kept up to their schedule of mileage.
Nick, Jo, Maisy and I left on the 8.00am shuttle on the morning of the 12th and met them all in Triel-sur-Seine – which is twinned with Leatherhead – in a complete downpour. The twinning members there were wonderful and arranged for us all to have our picnic lunch in one of the rooms of the mansion where we met.
They left there about 3.15pm, by which time the sun had come out again, and within 5 minutes had the second puncture of the trip – not bad going.
They arrived at the Eiffel Tower in Paris at 5.30pm on Monday 12th July. We all had a very French supper together before the boys went out on the town and, apparently, got to bed at 4.30am!!!
It was great fun and I hope that they have raised a good amount for CRY.
Frances Presley
