James Hugo Harris

Le Loop - supporting the William Wates Memorial Trust

Le Loop follows the official route of the Tour de France, one week ahead of the professionals, starting in Florence, Italy and finishing 21 stages later in Nice. For some crazy reason I’ve signed up to the first half of this challenge – 9 gruelling days without a break! I’ll be riding with about 100 other participants.

Every rider commits to raising a minimum amount for the William Wates Memorial Trust (WWMT). The fundraised money is entirely separate from the participation fee – your donations do not pay for my Tour. 

All monies raised go directly to the William Wates Memorial Trust whose mission is to help the most disadvantaged young people keep away from a life of crime and violence and fulfil their potential. This is achieved by giving grants to charities that engage young people through the medium of sports, arts and education.

It's been a tough couple of years for charities and particularly for young people. This is my chance to give something back and help support young people who aren't lucky enough to enjoy the advantages in life that most of us take for granted.

I’ve never asked for sponsorship before. Please give to this great cause, but only if you can. I appreciate times are not easy for many.

Riding the Tour de France route, even just the first half, is a dream come true, but also “next level” for me. It represents a decent test even for very serious cyclists. Every day I’ll burn 5 to 10 thousand calories and eat 7 meals just to keep the pedals turning. To add to the challenge, this year’s Tour gets off to a formidable start – one of the toughest in its 120 year history. As the race organiser put it, “the Tour has never climbed so high, so early”.

Most people who know me will have picked up that I’m a keen cyclist. In my teens and early 20s I put in some serious miles, big adventures on remote roads rather than racing others. But I’ve been a very casual rider since then. Frankly, I will be satisfied if I only complete day 1 – 125 miles from Florence to Rimini with nearly 12,000ft of climbing over the Appenines. But I’m going to get in shape and try to go the distance. Your support will add the necessary pressure for me to train hard and push myself between now and the Grand Depart on 22 June.

All donations go directly to WWMT – my participation costs are borne by me. Please remember that gift aid enables WWMT to claim an extra 25% on any donation made by a UK tax payer, at no cost to you. To find out more about the life changing work WWMT does click here.

Merci!