MAP cyclists raise £79,877 for Gaza (and still counting)
6 August 2009
Cycling for Gaza completed a 300k cycle challenge from London to Paris, that started out in London on the 2nd of July and finished in Paris on the 4th of July.
Day One: London - Newhaven - 95 km approx.
We set off through the streets of south London on the 2nd of July and cycled through the country side towards the south coast. The first day was certainly the toughest. It was a long day with over 6 hours cycling, seemingly uphill most of the time! It was hot and muggy and when we arrived at the port of Newhaven we found that the ferry to Dieppe had been delayed till 2am! Luckily the spirit amongst the team was high and we learnt some traditional Dabke dancing whilst we waited.
There were other dramas in the first day, one of our party took a wrong turn and vanished for several hours, luckily thanks to a series of tactical phone calls he managed to rejoin the group. Fieras took a bit of a fall from his bike after tackling a tricky downhill section, a few stiches later and he was as right as rain.
Day Two: Dieppe - Gournay en Bray - 80 km approx.
We set off through Dieppe, into the countryside of Normandy, passing through various French villages. The terrain was much flatter and easier going in contrast to day one. Everybody seemed to get into a steady pace and we made good time travelling through beautiful scenery.
Day Three: Gournay en Bray - Eiffel Tower, Paris - 114 km approx.
We left Gournay en Bray in a south easterly direction bound for Paris. As we progressed through the day, our surroundings started to change and we entered the suburbs of Paris. We made our way into the heart of Paris, cycling through wide boulevards towards our final destination, the Eiffel Tower.
'Cycling 4 Gaza' has raised £79,877 so far towards the target of £100,000 - to learn more visit their website www.cycling4gaza.com
This challenge is being organized by "BmyCharity". You can visit our fundraising page on www.bmycharity.com/cyclingforgaza.
Our mission is to raise as much money as we can to support the efforts of MAP and raise awareness of Gaza's lost generation.
Cyclists taking part include:
- Lulu Saka
- Seif Sammkieh
- Tamara Ben-Halim
- Misha Vaswani
- Thamir Kutbi
- Zara Usmani
- Raoul Vaswani
- John Oram
-Hazem Abuwatfa
-Sara Al Saraf
-Tamara Hasan
-Tamara Qutteineh
-Avi Shlaim
-Tabrez Ahmad
-Gywn Daniel
-Housam Al-Housami
-Faissal Ayoub
-Emilia Terracciano
-Salem Kaki
-Fuad Alzayer
-Carolyn Hurley
-Sanaz Jebelli
-Monem Rifai
-Flavio Centofanti
-Dani Borges
-Fieras Freijah
Testimonies
Dear all the team at MAP, Eiffel Tower, crying out: Libre Palestina!"
I look forward to more charity cycling next year!
Best wishes,
Zara Usmani.
