Fundraising News
Going That Extra Mile for the RMBI
24 August 2011
On Sunday 17 July 2011 - after 10 hours and 3 minutes of sheer mental strength and good old fashioned leg work W.Bro Lindsay Taylor-Haynes of the Roundhill Lodge No 8639 successfully completed a stage of L'Étape de Tour 2011 (a distance of 208km long). This is where amateur riders are given the chance to ride a stage of Le Tour de France, one of the most gruelling bike races in the world. Lindsay completed this all in aid of the 2012 RMBI Leicestershire and Rutland Festival and Cancer Research UK.
L'Étape de Tour was an extremely fast and challenging course (cyclists averaging a speed of 23km/h) involving mountains (the highest being 1,509 meters high), sharp fast corners, dangerously wet roads and close to freezing temperatures. Sounds like a bad dream? Out of a possible 4,053 starters of the race, only 1,982, less than half actually managed to finish. This included Lindsay who finished overall in 1,352nd. Excellent for a first attempt! Afterwards, an exhausted Lindsay said that this race was ‘the hardest thing I have ever done', making it all the more worth while once he had completed the course.
Lindsay would like to thank his brother Duncan and sister-in-law Cathy for inspiring him to take part and helping to guide him through the event and to his Wife Sharon and kids for all the moral support shown during his training leading up to the race.
It is not yet known how much money has been raised for the RMBI, but we would like to thank Lindsay and all those who supported him.
If you would like to get an idea of the conditions Lindsay encountered on the day, please click the following link which is the bikecam of a fellow competitor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zurkRTSHDU&feature=youtube_gdata
