Our offices here in the UK has transformed into a continental bike ride report centre, acting as the communication hub from all ends for the past 24 hours. With our team of cyclists traveling from Switzerland back to Crawley, we can proudly announce that we on track to reach our target. Currently on £21,039 (!) and five days to go until the homecoming celebrations, we would like to thank all contributors who have helped us begin our journey.
In the early hours of this morning, we received a very humorous update and personal mobile blog submission from our very own Chris Bligh, Straumann UK’s area business manager:
I write from Epinal at the end of day one, and I don't mind admitting I'm absolutely shagged, but can't complain.
Today, Heidi hit a pothole and crashed. Sue Karran then rode over Heidi, her tyre hitting the Straumann logo on Heidi's jumper for good measure before falling off herself… ouch!
Heidi has all the classic injuries: grazed fingers, elbow, shoulder and hip and broken iPhone! Both are okay and bravely continued to ride to the end.
Now reclining in bed after dinner in a state of bliss, having applied a lavish quantity of 'Overnight Skin Repair' (OSR) to my buttock cheeks. Many thanks to Josh for sharing his tube with me. Both keen to use the OSR lotion and before turning in, we discussed various options for how we might assist each other with the application (one ingeniously completely hands-free) but decided that most options were probably banned under French law, so I left his room with a palm full of the curious looking jelly and was glad not to meet anyone in the corridor.
Yesterday we celebrated lunch on the summit of Ballon D’Alsace, having got to the tour's high point. Some had been up there so long (one hour 40 minutes) they'd signed on to a half day craft course and made a 'Congratulations Girls' banner out of paper serviettes and discarded gel sachets and strung it across the road to welcome our first group.
I had a croque monsieur (toasted sandwich to you and me) and said ‘adieu‘ to our Swiss colleagues who made a hasty retreat, happy to be heading the other way!
Yesterday’s excitement was to have an Alsatian with us for lunch, but turned out to be a big Doberman instead, who took a dislike to Richard, the group two leader. He was 'tail end Charlie' at the time. All the other riders had seen and safely passed the caged Doberman when there was a scream from Richard that he had been bitten! He came flying past the others weaving from side to side like Mark Cavendish the Manx Missile with the dog in hot pursuit, or so they thougt. However, it turned out to be a little terrier that was the culprit and Richard only sustained a nip.
Note to self: David Upton is wearing long black socks in the style of a certain seven times disgraced Tour de France winning Texan.
We enter the Lorraine region of France today (day two). Our ride schedule notes read: It’s interesting that almost all of Stage 2, Epinal to St Dizier, is spent at between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above sea level. We‘re not at all sure what's interesting about that. It sounds suspiciously hilly to me!
For our cyclists, Stage 3 (Saturday 21 September) will take them through champagne country. Traveling from St Dizier to Reims, they’re main focus will be climbing The Montagne de Reims! Look out for the next blog post of Straumann Bike Ride!
Straumann are ultimately aiming to raise over £30,000 for Bridge2Aid and CLAPA and have so far raised £21,039. Donations can be made online via http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Straumann&isTeam=true
