Athens to Edinburgh – Two bikes required!
Edinburgh lads, Chris Strother (on the left) and Stuart Doyle, are planning to cycle 3,000 miles this summer from Greece back to Scotland to raise funds for St Columba’s Hospice. But here’s the thing: they need two bikes. At the moment they have a couple of fairly battered-looking bikes which they are using for training here in Edinburgh, but which would be of little use to them on their trip.
The bikes need to be sturdy enough to get them all the way back from the Parthenon. They also need some paniers to carry their gear, and some spare parts to help them along the way. As well as this, they could do with some T-shirts, other appropriate cycle clothing and some light camping gear.
Can you, or someone you know, help them? Then get in touch with them on their website or by contacting The Edinburgh Reporter.
Their purpose is to raise funds through the Buy a Brick appeal to help complete an essential rebuild of St Columba’s Hospice, and, of course, they cannot dip into the money they are raising to fund their equipment needs. At the moment they have raised almost £1,000 for the appeal which has an overall goal of £26million.
Stuart said:-“It would be a great help to us if we could get a couple of bikes suitable for the long trip, equipped with paniers for transporting our gear.”
Chris seemed more interested in getting a decent light tent for sleeping in at the end of a long day in the saddle!
The two friends will complete the cycle trip of a lifetime in May 2011, when they set out from the Parthenon in Athens bound for the National Monument on Calton Hill – known for being Scotland’s answer to the ancient Greek temple. They have known each other for about ten years and have been on holidays together before, so they believe that this trip will leave their friendship intact.
As well as fundraising through their website, they are organising events such as a football match at Ainslie Park on Sunday 6th March 2011, when the team they train with, Edinburgh Southern, will take on a Hearts Legend team. All funds raised at the match will be split with half going to the Parthenon2Parthenon fund. Tickets are £5 on the gate.
From Athens, the pair will cycle along the coastline of the Mediterranean north through Greece, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and Northern Italy. Their trail will continue to Rome, the South of France, Provence, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, from where they had hoped to catch the ferry to Scotland to complete the final stretch up to the top of Calton Hill. The ferry journey may now have to end in Newcastle, since the Scottish route has stopped. It would be nice to think that some local riders would do the last stretch with them into Edinburgh arriving at the top of Calton Hill!
They have both taken time off their respective jobs at Scottish Widows and Starbucks to allow them to undertake the trip. Chris and Stuart predict it will take them 7-8 weeks to complete the journey, estimating around 80 miles a day. To sponsor Chris and Stuart, supporters should visit their fundraising website.
They have their route mapped out, and you can see it here
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