SWAFFHAM: Shop owner follows in the tracks of Bradley Wiggins
Mike Manley raises his bike in triumph in front of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris after completing a 350-mile ride there from London to raise money for Breast Cancer Care Picture: SUBMITTED
SWAFFHAM shop owner Mike Manley proudly followed in the tracks of the first British Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins when he cycled along the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
He was among a 40-strong party who rode around the busy roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe and then along the famous avenue before heading for the Eiffel Tower and the finishing point of a four-day, 350-mile cycle ride, from London.
Mr Manley, who has run the Busy Bee photo processing, printing and toy shop in Market Place for 20 years, paid £600 to take part in the Discover Adventure trip and raised £1,000 in sponsorship for the Breast Cancer Care charity through his efforts.
He had bought a new bike and full cycling kit and did three months of training locally before the long ride, which started near the O2 in London and ended in the French capital less than a fortnight after Wiggins’ historic achievement.
Mr Manley said: “It was pretty hairy going round the Arc de Triomphe roundabout, as the cars coming onto it have priority, and then we went down the Champs-Élysées, where the Tour de France finished, and we created a lot of interest among passers-by!”
Three overnight stops in hotels were made along the route in France, which took the cyclists past World War I battlefields and the Battle of the Somme memorial, before a final night’s stay in Paris and a return to London on the Eurostar train.
Mr Manley said: “Going downhill, we were touching 40mph and it’s an amazing feeling. We were also doing slipstreaming like the professionals, to help us through.”
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Weather for King's Lynn
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 14 C
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