Charity Cycling Oxford | Cycle4Sobell

Despite a wildcat strike by French dock workers, stupidly-hilly terrain in northern France and temperatures that could cook eggs on lycra, the cycle4sobell team successfully completed its 250-mile charity cycle-ride from Oxford to Paris and raised £16,000 in aid of the Sobell House Hospice. And we did it in a ride-time of just 21 hours. Not bad for a bunch of school-run Dads.

cycle4sobell at the Arc De Triomphe finish line

It was quite a ride. We started with a spectacular send off from the children and parents of St Ebbe’s Primary School in Grandpont and with a full Police escort – obviously to avoid our being mobbed and our clothes torn for souvenirs… (more…)

Before we set off tomorrow on our bikes to Paris, it’s a good time to reflect why we’re doing this: to raise money for the Sobell House Hospice and to honour the life of Gary Conway who sadly passed away last June. Elena Conway, his wife, says it so much better.

Hi lads

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you luck and to say a huge heartfelt thank you in supporting Sobell House. Gary and I never expected to be touched by the care Sobell provides. At a time of great sadness the care and support was phenomenal, sadly more people will need Sobell’s help therefore it is so important that we make sure that they are celebrated as a centre of excellence that it deserves and it’s desperately needed funds.

I will always be grateful to the wonderful staff who looked after my gorgeous Gary and picked me up when i felt so low however under pressure they were. So Jimmy thank you so much for organizing all this and again chaps good luck do take care , have fun and rest assured Gary will be with you in spirit but thinking he would have looked better in lycra! No offense he did have the best butt ever!

Elena Conway

If you would like to support Sobell House, you can do so by sponsoring us here:

uk.virginmoneygiving.com/cycle4sobell

Thanks for your support

The 13 guys that are cycle4sobell

What we’ve come to love about this cycling malarkey are the gear and the gadgets – real boys-toys heaven. And believe me, there’s a lot of ‘must-have’ stuff that needs to be acquired to be safe/fast/flashy. But we needed more. Thankfully we still had GPS left.

That’s right. We’ll be telling our favourite satellites our exact location as we progress on our charity ride from Oxford to Paris in aid of the Sobell House Hospice. The feed, as they say in espionage films, is now live. You can see our progress here.

Due to the iPhone that’s running the GPS needing a battery the size of France for constant updates, we’ll only be updating about every 5 – 10 miles. So if it’s not moving when you check it out, that’s probably why. Alternatively we’ve given up and are drunk in a pub somewhere.

For those of you who are borderline geeky, cutting-edge or a band-wagon jumper (depending on your viewpoint), we’ll also be updating on Twitter as well as tweeting nice pictures of the English and French countryside. Possibly the occasional lycra bum. You can see them here: http://twitter.com/cycle4sobell

Kevin Whately & John Thaw on the set of "Morse" in Oxford

Yet another unexpected coup for the cycle4sobell team: the actor Kevin Whately is the latest in a growing list of celebrities to rally behind our charity bike ride from Oxford to Paris in aid of the Sobell House Hospice.

Kevin is closley associated with Oxford through his role in the TV detective drama “Morse”, in which he played John Thaw’s long suffering deputy Lewis. More recently, he has been appearing on our screens in the TV series “Lewis” – stepping out of the shadow of Morse and doggedly rounding up the murderous villains of Oxford.

He’s been filming in Oxford for over 20 years now and though avoiding collisions with errant cyclists is no doubt an inherent danger of filming in the City, when we contacted him to ask for his support, his response was immediate:

“Having spent so much of my professional life in Oxford I know it is a city with a strong association with cycling, so it is great to offer my support to the cycle4sobell team and wish them all the very best of luck (and weather) as they set out on their 250 mile ride to Paris!” (more…)

For a while, it did seem that our original target to raise £10,000 by cycling from Oxford to Paris for the Sobell House Hospice was going to be out of reach.

The crew had tapped every relative, friend, colleague, company and celebrity in its efforts to raise funds. And we were close. So close. But also tantalising short and with little time left before we set off on our epic journey next Thursday 22nd April.

Then the charity gods smiled on us: another two white-knights of the business world emerged: Rentokil and 3 Monkeys Communications. Both these companies have provided incredibly generous donations that finally pushed us through the £10k mark. We can’t thank you guys enough.

Nor can we offer sufficient thanks to the relatives, friends, colleagues, other companies and celebrities that have supported our cause so far. You know who you are.

As of writing, the total amount raised is a whopping £10,965.01 including gift aid.

Commenting on the fantastic support for cycle4sobell, Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council and Councillor for Hinksey Park Ward:

“This is am amazing achievement. I am delighted to offer my warmest support to the team of cyclists that Jimmy Smith has assembled from South Oxford for their trip to Paris. They have done a magnificent job in collecting sponsorship in memory of Gary Conway, who was a prominent and much loved member of the community.  Sobell House is a remarkable organisation which inspires deep gratitude and loyalty from the many people in Oxford who have experienced the care and comfort it provides. Let’s hope that the weather is kind, the beds are soft and the tyres don’t puncture too often!”

So, now that’s almost £11k under our collective lycra belts, please see if you can help us get to our new target: £12,000!