Five Exeter men complete epic ride for Hospiscare

Five Exeter friends - Keith Chapman, Jamie Howard, Brian Moore, Andy Rowe and Anthony Towl have just returned after completing an epic 11 day, 1,100 mile cycle ride from Paris to Rome, raising £7,500 for Hospiscare.

Starting at the Eiffel Tower, the route took them down through France, over the Alps and into Italy, passing through Tuscany before finishing at the Coliseum. The route had to be changed at the last minute due to snow blocking some of the high Alp passes, but they still found some tough mountains to climb!

Andy Rowe said “We self-funded the trip, meaning every penny raised went direct to Hospiscare. Our sponsors were amazing... in particular Dave Rogerson of Exeter Cycles who provided free bike spares.”

Brian Moore added: “The ride was tough – in particular a 130-mile day through the Jura Mountains in France to Annecy – monsoon-like rain and cold, coupled with punctures made that day really gruelling and character building!”

The highlights of the trip were the wonderful support and encouragement from people along the way, the amazing scenery (when the sun shone) and the food – especially the 2kg of raw steak ordered by mistake one lunchtime.

To find out more about their trip visit their blog at http://p2r2013.blogspot.co.uk/