THE DARFUR CHALLENGE 2005
Cycling for the Children of Darfur

They were escorted through Marseille by a French TV Camera Crew Filming their arrival. 
That will be shown on French TV tonight (31st August 2005).   They have Cycled a massive 817 miles in total. 

In mid August, two members of our church, Christopher and his father Robin are doing a sponsored cycle from Trafalgar Square to Paris then down to Marseille. This is the Darfur challenge. You will be only too aware of the reports coming out of Sudan and in particular, the deepening humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Much important work is currently taking place at UK Governmental level to lead on engaging the richest countries of the world to resolve poverty, debt, oppression and review trade relief in Africa; the G8 Conference in Gleneagles this July 05.

The Darfur Challenge is working in association with Christian Aid.

Every 3 Seconds a child dies as a result of poverty. With your help we can stop it. Live 8 concerts were put on all over the world recently. All though that has gone by we must not forget that poverty is still going on. Stop and think the next time you leave food on your dinner plate and want new clothes.
Thank God for how lucky you are and pray to God that you want him to end the poverty.   In one hour 1200 people die due to poverty. That’s nearly 30,000 people a day, nearly 900,000 people a month.

The Daily Summaries Sponsored by -

Saturday 13^th August 2005

From:  Dover
To:  Abbeville
Via:  Calais, Coulongne, Guines,
Desvres, Montreuil, Nouvion
Time of Departure:  0500hrs
Time of Arrival:  1725 hrs
Mileage: 62.36
Time spent cycling: 6hrs 01 mins
Avg Spd: 10.3mph
Max Spd: 35.2mph

Early start in order to catch the 0600hrs ferry to Calais. John and Val Parry were up at 0300hrs to come to Dover to see us off – big thank you guys!! On board, we had breakfast in the drivers lounge so Chris was able to catch up on some sleep as it was nice and quiet. It was a very hilly day with lots of rolling hills. It was quite demoralising for Robin and Chris at times, especially when the heavens opened!! Pete found an open super marche and was able to top up on water and pick up some lunch. A fat ham baguette and some orange squash and lemonade was greatly received by our two intrepid cyclists!!! More hills were to follow, however, once we were onto the main roads rather than the country roads, it flattened out and the final stretch into Abbeville was nice and gentle. Once in Abbeville, we were hosted by Bernard and Ann-Marie Dufour from the Abbeville Rotary Club. Good food, good hospitality and a good night’s sleep were all gratefully received!!!

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From: Fontainebleau
To:  Percey
Via:  Moret - sur - Loing, Villeneauve - la - Guyard,
Sens, Mijennes, St Florentin
Time of Departure:  0800hrs
Time of Arrival: 1800hrs
Mileage: 71.3
Time spent cycling: 6hrs 2mins
Avg Spd: 12mph
Max Spd: 27.10mph

An early rise with breakfast fresh from a patisarrie in the main square at Fontainebleau saw the start of today's riding. The cool morning air made for a pleasant cycle for Robin and Chris as they followed the river, albeit on main roads, towards Sens, where we stopped for lunch and a siesta. Robins excuse for having a little snooze was that it would give him some energy for the  afternoon. Personally I think it's more to do with him being 56 years old!!!! The rest of the day was very monotonous. The roads stayed the same with no hills or slopes, and the towns we passed through all looked very similar! Having arrived at Chateaux Percey where we were accommodated, we were bowled over to be told that the local press had been invited to cover our story! A few photographs, questions and answers later and it was down to the serious stuff - a hot shower, food and then bed!!!

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From: Percey
To:  Avallon
Via:  Joux -la - Ville, Lucy - le - Bois
Time of Departure:  0900hrs
Time of Arrival: 1645hrs
Mileage: 38.43
Time spent cycling: 4hrs 16mins
Avg Spd: 9mph
Max Spd: 29mph

The day started with the heavens opening and wet weather gear being donned by the two cyclists. The up side to this was though that it was a lot cooler instead of being an absolute belter! Chris had a bout of cramp in his left thigh but was able to work it out when we stopped for lunch north of Avallon. Again, the pair of them had a little snooze at lunch time leaving poor old Pete to look after the car and bikes! I suppose something's got to give if he's going to have the luxury of air conditioning and heating!!! The night was spent in a small hotel in the centre of Avallon where there was a rock concert being held opposite on the main square! Maybe not so much of a good night sleep in the end!!!!

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From: Avallon
To:  Chagny
Via:  Saulieu, Arnay - le - Duc
Time of Departure:  0845hrs
Time of Arrival: 1700hrs
Mileage: 61.66
Time spent cycling: 5hrs 17mins
Avg Spd: 11mph
Max Spd: 33mph

Avallon was a hive of activity as we left this morning as everyone was busy setting up for the market. No sooner had we left Avallon, the hills began to come thick and fast all the way to Saulieu. Lunch was had at Saulieu where fresh ham was carved strait off the bone at the town's market to fill our French bread baguettes! Lovely! This perked Robin and Chris up and gave them a good bit of energy to attack the hills that lay in front of them prior to a long descent into Chagny. This part of the ride was a good rest for them as they had been facing hill after hill all day. Pete did the usual with accommodation and shot off after lunch to secure somewhere and ended up having to pitch the tent, but not too far from the hot showers mind!!

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From: Chagny
To:  Macon
Via:  Chalon - sur - Saone, Sennecey -
Le - Grand, Tournous
Time of Departure:  0815hrs
Time of Arrival: 1800hrs
Mileage: 51.77
Time spent cycling: 4hrs 7mins
Avg Spd: 12mph
Max Spd: 29mph

With the cyclists on their way having left Pete to pack away the tent and beds, the weather was helping them on their way. Yes, it was overcast, but it's better than being el scorcio, and the best thing was that they had the wind pushing them along all the way!  Today was the first day in a southerly direction towards Marseille and also into the Soane Valley so the only hills they really encountered were humped bridges over railway lines and rivers!!  We had a good break for lunch in Tournous where, yep, you guessed it, both our beloved cyclists slept for an hour! Pete thinks this Challenge should be renamed; Sleeping for the Children of Darfur!!!  We arrived in Macon extremely early and so were able to get a few postcards written and also had time for a quick Maccies!!!

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From: Macon
To:  Condrieu
Via:  Lyon, Vienne 
Time of Departure:  0930hrs
Time of Arrival: 1845hrs
Mileage: 65.86
Time spent cycling: 5hrs 16mins
Avg Spd: 12mph
Max Spd: 32mph

We had a great breakfast followed by a great send off by Michel and Pascal Demau, who hosted us in Macon for the night. From there, it was into Lyon for lunch, but while Robin and Chris cycled, Pete went forward to get all the laundry done. Chris was beginning to smell after wearing the same pair of underpants since we left London! The majority of the day Robin and Chris were on their own as Pete then had to shoot ahead to Vienne to sort out accommodation. Thinking that we were staying in Vienne for the night, you could imagine the horror on Chris's face when he found out that we were to stay in a camp site in Condrieu approximately 10km south of Vienne! That boy can earn his dinner today!!!

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From: Condrieu
To:  Peyrus
Via:  Serriers, Tournon - sur - Rhone, Valence 
Time of Departure:  0930hrs
Time of Arrival: 1730hrs
Mileage: 53.66
Time spent cycling: 4hrs 20mins
Avg Spd: 12mph
Max Spd: 25mph

As the distance to be covered wasn't that far, we had a lie a in this morning. As it was a night in the tent again, the usual format followed with Robin and Chris getting on with the cycling while Pete was left to pack up camp and catch up! Tournon - sur - Rhone was chosen for lunch where a spot of fundraising was undertaken. Chris also had a puncture so, the first having covered over 600 miles, so Pete had to repair  that for him. Onto Valence all the way down the Rhone Valley with a tail wind pushing them was short lived for the final stretch to Peyrus in the foothills of the Vercors Mountains. We were met there by the local French resistance (all you historians should know about the Vercors!) and taken to our hideout for the night!

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From: Peyrus
To:  Peyrus
Via:  Peyrus
Time of Departure:  N/A
Time of Arrival: N/A
Mileage: N/A
Time spent cycling:  N/A
Avg Spd:  N/A
Max Spd: N/A

MAINTENANCE DAY!!!!! For the first time since leaving London, the boys had a day of rest………from the saddle and the car! Robin decided to stack the logs that Bernard, our host was chopping up, Chris decided that he wanted to top Cycling for the Children of Darfur and wanted to start Motorcycling for the Children of Darfur on Edwin’s (Bernards son) motor cross bike, and Pete continued to pull his hair out as the French computer system still would not play the game! A swift threat with a sledge hammer and a 6 inch blade and the e-mails finally got back to our very own Mr Chris Green! At last! Marni, Bernards wife took us all up into the Vercors Mountains to experience the exhilarating and breath taking views and once back at the house, home cooked pizza was enjoyed by all!

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From: Bourg – St – Andeol
To:  Orange
Via:  Pont – St – Esprit
Time of Departure:  0930hrs
Time of Arrival: 1700hrs
Mileage: 26.8
Time spent cycling:  2hrs 4mins
Avg Spd:  13mph
Max Spd: 30mph

“Not a long hard day of riding for the boys”, I hear you say and you’d be absolutely right! It’s simply because they’ve both put in so much effort getting as far as they have that we’re way ahead of schedule! Instead they’ve spent more time in and out of bars, café’s and believe it or not, the odd lingerie shop collecting money! Another night in Chateau Pete with a lovely barbeque and a big juicy melon to satisfy for afters! We’re now seeing the more Mediterranean style of landscape similar to North Africa so to say that we’re not far from completing this is an understatement! 

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Monday 29th August 2005

From: Salon – de - Provence
To:  Vertrolles
Time of Departure:  0945hrs
Time of Arrival: 1700hrs
Mileage: 21.2
Time spent cycling:  1hrs 59mins
Avg Spd:  10mph
Max Spd: 30mph

Those BLINKING HILLS!!!!! They’ve only gone and turned up again, haven’t they!! Two final pushes over them and it’s into Marseille! But what a view from the top. As our boys crossed the pass into the bowl where the airport is, they were greeted with their first glimpse of Mediterranean water. It’s just a shame it’s not the Mediterranean Sea! Pete had a quiet chuckle to himself! But Robin and Chris are now both happy and safe in the knowledge that their target destination lies just the other side of those BLINKING HILLS!!!! It was into an urban camp site for the evening on the edge of Europe’s largest salt lake and apparently, disposable bbq’s which Pete had bought a few of earlier in the trip, don’t exist in France?! Can anyone help Pete with scratching his head on this one?! Anyway, a pit was dug, laced with charcoal and hey presto, we were cooking on gas…….well, you know what I mean!!!

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From: Vertrolles
To:  Marignane
Time of Departure:  0800hrs
Time of Arrival: 1600hrs
Mileage: 11.1
Time spent cycling:  1hrs 12mins
Avg Spd:  9mph
Max Spd: 12mph

Well, the mileage takes the Michael for today, don’t you think? As reported before, the team has flown down the Rhone Valley and to be honest, no one can see our guys very well because of the amount of smoke billowing around them because of pressure they’re applying to their brakes! Still, the day was full of surprises. When in Marignane, the boys were presented with a newspaper cutting from a local French Newspaper about their exploits! This spiraled and in the end we were being hosted by the Mayor of Marignane and his deputies in the Hotel de Ville with juice, coffee and biscuits! This was something that had not been planned and it happened purely by word of mouth! Wow! More journalists were present and in the end, e-mail addresses, home addresses were exchanged so we all look forward to guessing what has been written about us! Pam arrived safely as well and was picked up by Pete at Marignane airport. They both went to the camp site and she surprised Robin by donning a black t-shirt with his initials on the front!! It was a welcome break for the team to have back in their lives the rock that she is!! Relatively early night tonight as our adventurers call it a day……….tomorrow!!!!

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From: Marignane
To:  Marseille
Time of Departure:  0815hrs
Time of Arrival: 1200hrs
Mileage: 21.1
Time spent cycling:  1hrs 59mins
Avg Spd:  11mph
Max Spd: 25mph

Well…………THEY’VE ONLY GONE AND DONE IT!!!!!!! There you have it, all you supporters and followers of this amazing story! Marseille has been reached! But not until one more BLINKING HILL got in the way! But once on top of that hill, there it was, the finishing line. Marseille was a hive of activity today with roadwork’s and traffic congestion everywhere making it quite a slow process to get into the centre of the city, but the team were escorted in for the last 6km by the French Channel 3 News making them all minor celebrities for the day and also giving us a breather from the old map reading! We had a few people come over to us to say that they had read about our story in the newspapers and so kindly made donations having congratulated Robin and Chris. Robin and Pam are now in a hotel for a couple of days and Chris and Pete are still camping before they all return to the UK at the end of the week. For the boys it’s a slog in the car retracing the tread marks they’ve been leaving the length of France for the passed three weeks and for Pam it’s a nice flight with EasyJet. Pete thinks a box of pro plus and a crate of Red Bull are in order for that journey because no doubt Robin and Chris will be adopting the position of eyes firmly shut and mouths wide open! Fortunately the journey doesn’t end here though. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE continue to make the donations so many of you have already done and let’s get a big lump sum together for the Children of Darfur.

You can click on the pictures to make them bigger

1100hrs saw the team being hosted by the Deputy Mayor of Marseille, Madam Fay, in the Hotel de Ville. Journalists, photographers and Fun Radio were all present, scribbling snapping and recording away! Chris must be the most photographed teenager in Europe this morning, but not without good cause. Madam Fay, who is deeply concerned about the growing crisis in Africa in general, presented Chris with the Medal of Marseille. This is a medal that is presented to those who do amazing things, something that Chris has set out to do and achieve, which he has done in style. We as a team hope that Chris has been able to inspire his peers but also older generations by doing what he has done. This has also been achieved as he was approached by a mother with her 12 and 11 year old boys. They too had read about our story in the papers and asked Chris for his autograph. Now there’s a sign of stardom! Also present was Mr Hugh Hunter, the British Consulate General Marseille, said in his speech that seeing what the team had achieved and for such a good cause made him feel proud to be British. Complements like that have really put everyone onto cloud nine and in a way, ease the process of letting 1200km sink in!!  

Along the route, people have been so generous with their donations, large and small and it would be grossly negligent of us not to thank all those that we have met on the way. Your hospitality has found no depth and we thank you all very much. Our sponsors who have been so good to us with our transportation – Barry and his team at Volvo Lipscomb who provided us with a V70 support vehicle and Jason and his team at Halfords who provided the bikes. All three behaved and performed brilliantly! Standby for the next challenge guys!! Nationwide, Aquaid, NEV Communications, Camping International – Pete flashed your logos all the way through France and the South East! Thank you so much for coming on board the project. Mrs Nan Millar for her hard work and determination with being the team’s translator and scribe for all those letters that had to be sent to France – thank you. Dave Swinbank, the team’s photographer. He must be as fed up as Pete is with constantly taking photos of Volvo’s, bikes and bright yellow t-shirts! Dave, thank you, and not to forget Chris Green, he has been a vital link in providing us with communications to the outside world via the St. Mary's Island Church web site and we are all most grateful for everything that you have done for us - thank you. 
If we have missed anyone, we apologise. You have been with us all the way and we appreciate every ounce of support that you have given us. Finally, we cannot forget the love and support of all our friends and family. Long nights and lots of stress go into the preparation of these events and without you pushing us, we may not have achieved this goal. We love you all very much and thank you all so much for every thing you did for us. Thank you.

I guess the next ride could be Chatham to Cape Town?

and ends.....

Tea with the Mayor on 4 November 2005

The Worshipful the Mayor and Mayoress of Medway, Cllr & Mrs Ken Webber invited Chris to a celebratory afternoon tea during which
the Mayor presented Chris with a cut glass jug bearing the Medway Coat of Arms in recognition of his highly successful challenge of cycling
from Trafalgar Square to Marseille in order to raise funds for the Children of Darfur.

Peter, Chris, The Worshipful the Mayor of Medway - Cllr Ken Webber, The Mayoress of Medway - Mrs Anita Webber and Robin

Chris and The Worshipful the Mayor of
Medway - Cllr Ken Webber.

Robin received this email from the United States Library of Congress on the 19th February 2006
What a wonderful achievement!!  Well done Robin and Chris....

The MINERVA Web Archiving Project was established to initiate a broad program to collect and preserve these primary source materials. A multi disciplinary team of Library staff representing cataloguing, legal, public services, and technology services is studying methods to evaluate, select, collect, catalogue, provide access to, and preserve these materials for future generations of researchers.

Read Letter from Christian Aid 
In PDF Format  (61KB)

Read Letter from The Mayor of Medway
 In PDF Format (86KB)

Read The Darfur Challenge 2005 - Press Release 3  In PDF Format  (112KB)

The Darfur Challenge 2005 - Press Release 3 In RTF Format (766KB) (Virus Free)

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