BIKE RIDE 20th RIDE CAPACITY UP TO 250

- Wed 20th Apr 2005

Due to the unprecedented demand for places on the 20th ride, the annual recce to hotels and
waystops on the route had to negotiate more hotel rooms and provision for more riders and
support crew at the various morning, lunch and afternoon stops.
French liaison chief Pascal Pichon and Paul Fisher visited all of the venues in the week after Easter,
successfully negotiating all requirements, but not without a few raised eyebrows and a bit of persuasion here and there! Such a large group is quite daunting to a restaurant only used to groups of locals, but some of them, quite reasonably, see it as payday! Pascal had to shoulder most of the work, because the chairman was suffering from a stomach bug picked up during the preceding twinning weekend in Gorron,  like many of the group.

Chartres 2006?
A few hours were taken off the recce route to check out the possibility of the ride visiting
Chichester's twin city of Chartres, about 60 miles to the south west of Paris, next year.
After visiting and negotiating with a number of hotels in and around this impressive city,
we feel confident that we can take the ride there, albeit with the anticipated fewer numbers taking part this year. It's now up to logistics and whether Chichester's twinning organisation want to get behind the initiative. We have been in touch with Chichester's Mayor's office and the secretary of their twinning committee.
One thing that we are considering is flying the 3-Day riders over, in order to minimise the time taken off to get there, now that ferry prices are rising and flying costs falling.

Sponsorship of this year's riders
All of this year's riders now have their forms and will be looking for sponsorship,
so I hope that Islanders will be generous to the 70 or so riders from Hayling that are taking part.

Practice Rides
This year's practice rides, appealing particularly to new riders, is now under way.
It is planned that these will be 'social rides', leading up to the main event, with country pubs 
incorporated, so that new riders can get to know the veterans.
Anyone can join in, with rides generally starting at 10.30 on Sunday mornings from the Ship at Langstone. Another event, sometimes thought of as a 'super practice ride' is the Channel to Channel ride, organised by Peter McQuade.
Now in its 6th year, this takes place on the weekend of Friday evening 13th to Sunday 15th May
and involves cycling from Weston-super-Mare back to Hayling, via Salisbury.
Please call Peter on 9246-3049.
Details for Ride 2005
The 5-Day 418 mile ride goes out in the afternoon of Sunday 10th July from Portsmouth to Cherbourg and the 3-Day 228 mile ride overnight on Tuesday 12th July, from Portsmouth to Le Havre. We shall all be in Rouen on Bastille Day, 14th July, and return on Saturday, 16th July, from Le Havre, arriving on Hayling in mid-afternoon.
Entry fees are £345 for the 5-Day and £245 for the 3-Day.
Riders are expected to raise at least £150 for the charity of their choice, with entry fees and business support paying for the organisation of the event, allowing 100% of the sponsorship raised to be distributed to the nominated charities and deserving causes.
Phone enquiries to 023 9246 1412 or by post to Paris to Hayling, PO Box 30, Hayling Island, Hants, PO11 9UD.
Mobile - 07770-888501. e-mail paul.fisher69@ntlworld.com
Website - http://www.hayling-cycle-ride.org.uk

Paul Fisher 20/04/05

By forum user, PaulFisher