Sore feet, sore bum but a great sense of satisfaction.

The final day was a huge success and I feel we were able to raise decent levels of awareness and get our message across to the right people.

Outside Wembley before the start of Day 7

15 of us set off from Wembley stadium in the morning under fairly clear skies. Being England this didn’t last very long and, after about 15 minutes, the showers came and we were all drenched. Our spirits remained high, helped by Lucy and Tola from Choice FM who you’d expect to have smiles on their faces whatever the weather. Read more

Monday’s stage started with a visit to Vodafone HQ in Newbury.  I was joined by fellow Laureus World Sports Academy members Sebastian Coe, Sean Fitzpatrick and (of course!) Hugo Porta, as well as Vodafone Foundation advisor Matthew Pinsent. Vodafone have provided their full backing to my campaign and I was more than happy to have a Q&A session at their offices.

Q&As at Vodafone HQ

However, at the back of my mind I was always thinking forward to what would be the longest stage of the journey – 75 miles from Newbury to Brent over countless gruelling hills. Read more

Departure from Mathieson Youth Centre, Milton Keynes followed by cycle to Trax project in Oxford.

What a memorable day. We had our largest peloton (18 riders) which included 2 outstanding sportsmen from past and present – Steve Waugh (Laureus Academy member) and Butch James (Friend & Ambassador).  Both are top guys and I’m grateful to them for supporting us on the fifth stage of the ride.

The route from Oxford to Newbury took us through some awesome scenery and over a few mean hills. There is quite a range of standard among the riders but everyone has been supporting eachother and working as a team to get the pack over the top of the tough climbs. As someone who competed alone back in the day, it’s a good learning experience to watch team sportsmen like Steve Waugh, Butch James and Hugo Porta show their leadership skills on the ride. This really fits in nicely with the theme of the campaign and I was proud to take them to the Nacro project at the Riverside Youth and Community Centre near Newbury.

I’m getting quite tired now but every time we arrive at a project, it gives me a real boost and revs me up for the next day of riding. Tomorrow will be a long day – leaving the Vodafone HQ in Newbury for a 70 mile journey to Brent.