This ride was completed five years ago, but for Breton Bikes cycling holidays in France go see www.bretonbikes.com. This is our main site for cycling holidays, general cycletouring information, advice and equipment tests

AND for those wishing to try it themselves we will supply a detailed route plan (now tried and tested!)with all campsite details and a CD ROM with over 200 photographs. All we ask is a donation to ITDG of at least 30 euros/dollars. You can do this by simply contacting me at geoff@Bretonbikes.com and I will expain how you can pay

Breton Bikes is a very small firm, run as a husband and wife team (Kate and I - that's her in the pic grinding up the last 200m of the Tormalet...) and selling only around 500 holidays a year. In the last couple of seasons we've been fully booked - turning people away, so our little venture has, for us, been wonderfully successful. One of the joys of the business is that over the last 13 years we've built up a group of regular customers who've become close friends as well as helping keep us fed:-)

So we thought the time was ripe to take a group of regular customers and see how much money we could raise for our favourite charity - Intermediate Technology. If this year proves successful it is our aim to run such a ride every year...

The Charity

Intermediate Technology (now known as The Intermediate Technology Development Group or ITDG) is a charity operating world wide - registered in Britain amongst other countries, its patron is HRH Prince Charles and it has been in operation for over 30 years. For their excellent site go here.

As a charity it is slightly unusual in that its primary purpose is not to help the starving or sick directly, but through sustainable development of technology and knowledge, to prevent the problems in the first place. An example:- Research showed that in Sub Saharan Africa women spent the majority of their time wandering ever further for scarce firewood for cooking - without which food could not be prepared or 'sterilised'. The stoves they then used were inefficient and very smoky, producing chronic respiratory problems for many women. ITDG developed a new stove, able to be made by traditional potters, that was far more efficient. They trained potters in making the stove then sent them out to train people in the field. This may seem unglamorous compared to TV-screen-filling relief efforts, but then look at the result... Women now spend less than half the time searching for wood, there is far less deforestation so that the wood supply is once more becoming sustainable with all the advantages for land use and erosion that comes with it. Respiratory problems are finished, women have time for constructive work and an industry producing the stoves has developed all over Africa. Long term the results will make a huge difference to the lives of millions of people, and they will have done it themselves, it is the exact opposite of the kind of aid that gives a farmer a tractor that he cannot use or repair.

There are many other examples, turbines that a local blacksmith can build, a new, much more efficient ploughshare, cable ways that can link isolated mountain villages to others so they can trade and co-operate, the list is endless.

Our Project

One of the things that ITDG have been working on is transport and central to this is the provision of bicycles and trailers. This might seem a little odd, but it has an effect beyond what you might think. The ability to transport farm produce has a major effect on food shortages and distribution. By giving a farmer a bicycle and trailer he can carry to market far more produce, without carrying the crippling (literally) loads on his/her back. Distances become less of a problem. The farmer is able to sell far more produce, there is much more food and choice at market for people to buy - the economy grows in a natural, organic way and so is far more able to weather natural cycles.

A bicycle and trailer costs around £70 ($110). Our aim is to buy at least 100 sets for use in Peru where they are desperately needed.

One of our intrepid party, Evelyn Beale, will also be collecting sponsorship for a charity that she has set up concerning the building of a fishing lake with access for handicapped children - please go here to learn about 'Little Owl'...

The Ride

For a sponsored ride to work it needs to be a challenge for the participants. It also needs to be appropriate and I hope interesting. So for me the choice was natural, the Pyrenees, and in particular the most famous 'cycling' mountain of the all - the Tormalet...

The trip will begin from the campsite at Biarritz on the 13th September 2003. There then follows a five day ride East amongst the foothills of the Pyrenees then a turn South then East along the backbone of the Pyrenean range. First col will be the Col d'Aspin (1489m), then the mighty Tormalet - all 2115m of it (7000ft). Then follow the Soulor (1474m), Aubisque (1709m) and Col de Marie Blanc (1035m). Then in one evil day the tiny D19 will take us from Larrau, up and over the Col Bagargui (1284m), Col de Burdincurutcheta (1135m) and the Col d'Haltza (782m) and on to St Etienne do Baigorry. The final day in the mountains will then take in the Col d'Ispigny (672m) and Puerto d Otxondo (670m). Ten cols in all...

The end point is back at Biarritz on the 27th September.

OK I hear you say, people do this all the time on racing bikes. The difference will be that the group will be camping, carrying full camping equipment and there is no motorised back-up, anyone who fails (me included) just has to turn round and freewheel back down to the foothills and then back to Biarritz. Trust me, there is considerable difference between climbing the Tormalet on a 9kg racing bike and a touring bike loaded up to 40kgs... See a description here.

Money!

Breton Bikes is providing all equipment and organization, and I will lead the group myself. I will arrive complete with trailer of gear, at Biarritz and Rendevous with the riders who will mostly arrive by air. The cost of the holiday is £350 (approx $500), and ALL this cost will go direct to ITDG, Breton Bikes will absorb all costs and expenses ourselves. The group will consist of 14 riders so ITDG is guaranteed £4900 from the outset. In addition the riders in the group can obtain personal sponsorship using the paperwork provided by ITDG and this will of course go direct to ITDG. We'll also be collecting money 'en-route' - hopefully paper rather than heavy coins!

How can you help?

Ultimately this all comes down to maximising the amount of money we can raise. The first and simplest thing is for you to simply link from your site to this one, that way it will get more readers and come higher on search engines. Secondly you could send a donation to us at the address below. Thirdly and best of all, you may also like to organise an event yourself, and if so I will make space on this site for details and reports to help you gain as much publicity as possible. Lastly for companies, if you'd like to make a donation we will publicise your generosity on this site, link to your own corporate site, and of course you will be mentioned as supporting the ride in any publicity we might be able to organise. It is my intention to keep this site regularly updated with stories, information and updates, ultimately the site will be a record of the build up and completion of the tour, and the results for ITDG and the people we help.

All cheques should be made out to Intermediate Technology Development Group, and sent to me at

Geoff Husband
Breton Bikes
14 Grande Rue
22570 Plelauff
France.

Tel ++33 2 96 24 86 72
Email; geoff@Bretonbikes.com

THANKS!

Many people have already given money to the various participents and sponsorship money is being collected. In addition the following companies have made very generous contributions - thanks to them

Roche Diagnostics