At the start of July Stone cyclist, Tom Sharman, took on 3 mountain stages of the 2022 Tour De France to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK – the stages consisted of 287 miles with 37,096 feet of climbing – that’s the equivalent of the combined height of Mount Everest, Mount Snowdon and Ben Nevis!
Tom’s initial plan was to tackle the stages over the 4th, 5th and 6th of July, however, due to the weather conditions and his recovery time, this was revised to the 3rd, 5th and 7th of July.
Stages 10, 11 and 12 of the 2022 Tour de France were the stages identified to tackle, and Tom told A Little Bit of Stone a bit about the challenge:
“I’m doing this challenge in loving memory of close friends and family who we have sadly lost to Cancer over recent years and all fundraising proceeds will be donated to Cancer Research UK.
I set my initial fundraising target at £600, but after some fantastic support from family and friends, I raised the target to £1000.
I’m also incredibly lucky to say that my employer also vowed to match every £1 raised up to £500!”
Tom provided updates after each stage, it makes for fascinating reading for what’s entailed in such an adventure:
Update after day 1 (stage 10 of TDF) …
“With a heavy thunderstorm in the forecast for Monday, I decided to bring day 1 of my TDF Challenge forward. A wise choice in the end as it is hammering it down in Morzine now!
This was the least hilly of the 3 stages that I’ll be completing and whilst there were some decent climbs in the first 70 miles or so, they were mostly enjoyable, the descending was good fun and the scenery spectacular.
The last climb, however, the longest and steepest of the day to the Morzine Altiport, was tough and I kept getting cramp and nearly fell off a few times as a result. Made it in the end though and the amazing support that I’ve received from family and friends really really helped.
Big shout out to my amazing wife Gem, who drove nearly two hours to pick me up from the finish, the mountain was just about as tricky to drive up as it was tough to cycle. £1305 raised so far, with a further £500 from my employer, thank you so much!!!! This one was for Sam”
Update after day 2 (stage 11 of TDF) …
“Today was day 2 (stage 11 of the TDF) from Albertville to Col du Granon.
The scenery was spectacular but it was very, very tough, particularly the last climb which nearly finished me off. Having got back to the hotel far later than planned and not eaten as much as I should, I (with much sensible persuasion from my better half) have decided to push day 3 to Thursday and to use tomorrow to recover and refuel ahead of what will be the toughest of the 3.
Thank you again for all of the support and very generous donations, the JustGiving page is up to £1375 now with a further £500 from my employer. Roll on Thursday 😐. This one’s for Justin ❤️”
Update after day 3 (stage 12 of TDF) …
“Today was the final stage with three mountain top summits, the Col du Galibier (again, but from the other direction), the 29km climb of the Col de la Croix de Fer and finishing up the 21 hairpin turns of the Alpe D’Huez. It took a while but I got there in the end, as with the other two days the weather and scenery were both great which helped.
The roads were also much busier with other cyclists today so had some company, including a bunch of riders from all over the globe raising money (£1m!!) for a Leukemia charity.
Time for a beer now but before I do I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone for your support, total fundraising is over £2000 now which is well beyond what I originally imagined, so THANKYOU!!
I also want to say a specific thank you to Gem, who has been amazing and has braved the roads of France on her own, to Helen and Bob who have looked after the girls for the week and to my parents for their support and encouragement and for taking over the girls this coming weekend until we’re home. A tough stage today, but one I won’t be forgetting any time soon. This one’s for Grandma (Jean)
“
Although Tom’s challenge is now complete, his fundraising is still ongoing. If you’d like to support Cancer Research UK by recognising Tom’s efforts then you can donate on his Just Giving Page -> https://www.justgiving.com/
1 comment
Lynda Marenghi
Well done Tom for completing such an amazing challenge and the money raised for Cancer Research UK.