French trip was no holiday for cyclists

Nov 17 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A PAIR of biking buddies pedalled the length of France recently and raised over £2600 for charity.

This staggering amount was generated by Bankfoot’s Ron Robertson (62) and David James (60), from Strathblane, who travelled from Le Havre in the north of the country to Grau-du-Roi on the Mediterranean coast.

They averaged 59 miles every 24 hours and completed a total of 830 miles in 18 days.

Ron (62), who has suffered from cancer in the past, said: “We had a great trip and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

“What’s more, through the generosity of our friends, we managed to raise a great amount for Cancer Research UK.

“I am a cancer survivor and without the charity’s work, I might not have been able to do the trip,” he said.

David added: “The generosity of our sponsors was truly amazing, I had been hoping we’d raise a few hundred pounds – but the final total greatly surpassed all my expectations.

“I’m so pleased we decided to raise funds to help Cancer Research UK with its important work”

Accepting the generous donation on behalf of the charity, Dorothy Rodger said: “This was a fabulous and inspirational trip which Ron and Dave trained hard for, and also worked hard at raising the funds.

“We are hugely grateful for their support and I would encourage anyone who is setting themselves a challenge in 2010 to think about doing it for Cancer Research UK.”

Cancer Research UK is dedicated to research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of every type of cancer. It funds over 4500 research scientists, doctors and nurses throughout the UK.

For more information visit: www.cancerresearchuk.org