EFOD 200 mile bike ride

[p]On the 6th and 7th of July, along with a group of some 50 to 60 engineers I will be aiming to complete a 200 mile bike ride across Southern Wales. The route traverses some of the most scenic and mountainous parts of the Brecon Beacons, and I have been reliably informed that it includes more than 20,000 feet of climbing. For a well-trained cyclist, this may be no major undertaking. However, my training to date has entailed pulling my road bike out of the loft and cleaning off 15 years worth of dust... so I'm not hiding from the fact that it's going to be a very tough weekend.[/p][p] The ride is to raise awareness and funds for the charity Engineers For Overseas Development. EFOD was originally part of the Welsh branch of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and was established to provide construction industry support for development projects for the alleviation of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Construction projects are carefully selected based on the genuine need for a particular facility, a need for specialist construction industry support, and where charitable funding from other sources is unlikely. The projects provide valuable training and experience for construction professionals both in the UK and the locality where they are to be constructed. This year funds are being raised for the construction of Kwarikwar primary school in Kachumbala, Uganda.[/p]