Ex England football player takes on Le Tour.

http://www.geoff-thomas.com/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFr...489753,00.html
HE'S NOT sure how his plan to ride the Tour de France started. He was having
coffee with a friend over Christmas and they were discussing the merits of
Armstrong's book when his friend suddenly announced his ambition to ride the
route of the Tour this summer.

"How many stages are you talking about?" he asked.

"The whole thing," his friend replied.

"And how would you do it?" "Well, we would have to prepare, obviously, but
the plan would be to ride each stage three days ahead of the race."

"Oh," he sighed. "It would be great if I could do that."

"And do you not think you could?" "Not at this moment," he replied, "but
give me a couple of weeks to think about it."

He thought about it. He was playing tennis again and feeling reasonably fit
.. . . but the fitness levels required for a challenge like the Tour were
much, much higher. He logged on to the internet and began studying the
route: Stage 1: Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-l'lle (12 miles). Stage 2:
Challans to Les Essarts (113 miles). Stage 3: La Chataigneraie to Tours (129
miles). Stage 4: Tours to Blois (41 miles). Stage 5: Chambord to Montargis
(111 miles) . . . But he was already feeling exhausted. No, it was madness
even to consider such a ride. But it kept niggling away at him.

Want a challenge, Geoff? When will you ever get a chance to do something
like this again? Think of the money you could raise for leukaemia. Think of
how proud you'd feel when it's done.

He dusted the cobwebs off his mountain bike and decided to test

himself over six stiff miles around the lanes at Barnt Green. They were
stiffer than he'd imagined. He fell through the kitchen door with a bright
red face and Julie thought he had lost it: "What the hell do you think are
you doing?" He phoned Craddock and requested an appointment. Thomas has
known a lot of surgeons over the years, but he'd never had any relationship
with the guys who hacked and prodded his knees. Charlie was different.
Charlie was a friend. He remembers his tone that day when he announced he
was in remission. It was as though he was breaking the news to his son. So
he sat the professor down and told him what he was thinking.

"Normally, at this time Geoff," he smiled, "people ask me if they can go
swimming."

His decision was made. He would take on the Tour.

"It's funny," he says, "but there are two reactions whenever I mention it.


Julie told some friends last week and they couldn't stop laughing. 'Bloody
hell! He's nearly died last year and he's going to kill himself this year!'
But a lot of the guys I've mentioned it to have been envious. 'Yeah, I'd
love to do that'.


My attitude is, 'Just do it'. That's where I am in my life at this moment in
time - your mindset totally changes.

"A few people have said it's too much, too soon, but they're the people who
never try anything. I've always enjoyed a challenge. I know I'm not fit
enough at the moment, but I think I have enough time to give it a really
good go. We have a lot of miles to cover and some of the mountain stages are
going to be really, really difficult, but it's an opportunity to do
something that will really push me and that I can look back on and be proud
of.

"It will be an amazing achievement if I can make it to Paris, and hopefully
we will raise a lot of money for a cause that is obviously close to my
heart. I'm going to get in touch with the PFA (Professional Footballers'
Association) and bang some heads to get the football fraternity involved.
Simon Jordan at Crystal Palace has already been very supportive and I think
it will catch a lot of people's imagination."

His new bike, a green Bianchi (the Ferrari of racing cycles) was delivered
to his door on Monday. He changed into his strange new training tights, took
the bike out on to the road and steered it towards Callow Hill. The gradient
was steeper than it appears in a car and he was struggling for breath when
he reached the summit. And the wafer-thin saddle was a serious strain on his
groin, but it was a long time since he had felt so excited.

Twenty miles down - just 2,220 to go.

--
Simon M.