RIDE OF THE LIONS. MELBOURNE to SYDNEY 2013.

Well, its been a manic few months for those of us trying to get the logistics for The Ride Of The Lions sorted but with about a month to go, it looks like we are well on the way and the excitement is really growing now.

A quick summary for those who have not been following our progress from the start: A group of ex Lions and other cycling/rugby enthusiasts are heading to Melbourne in time to watch the Second Lions Rugby Test against the Wallabies. We then head off the next day on our bikes for Sydney. 1000km following the coastal route primarily, in 6.5 days. We are being joined by a group of Aussies, made up of ex Wallabies including the likes of Simon Poidevin and Warwick Waugh. The Lions contingent is headed by Peter Winterbottom, Mike Teague, Roger Uttley and Tyrone Howe. We are expecting several other sporting names to join us for a leg here and there and there is some talk of a major Hollywood celebrity or two but you will have to watch this space for firmer details on that!

At Road Rags we have been involved from the start. Organising the event and preparing the kit for the riders and back up crew. That has been no mean feet in itself. Not often you get cyclists with 52" chests and 20" biceps to cater for!! Mike is on the ride and has been training hard for the long days ahead.

To add to the fun we are planning on breaking the world record for the highest number of cyclists in a bike bus on our departure from Melbourne and, taking advantage of the rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney siders, we then expect to break that record when we get to Sydney on the day of the Third Test. Just to top it all off we have just been given official notice that we will deliver the match ball too!!

The Lions riders are riding to raise money for WWTW, a fantastic charity, much beloved of its patron, Prince Harry and the Wallaby riders are raising money for child cancer charity, Red Kite who have strong ties with the ARU.

See more on WWTW at www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk

See more on Red Kite at www.redkite.org.au

Follow ROTL at www.facebook.com/Rideofthelions or on twitter at @ROTL2013 and you can donate at Mike's personal fund-raising page which is www.bmycharity.com/Rideofthelions.

Alternatively you can donate to the central page at www.justgiving.com/Rideofthelions.

Road Rags are keen to support the team and their very worthy cause so would like to offer customers the chance to donate to WWTW when buying online at www.roadrags.cc. Enter the Discount Code 'ROTL' when you purchase anything on our website and we will donate 50% of profits to WWTW.

We want to thank all the supporters of the ride especially the lead sponsor QBE who have been fantastic. Other companies we need to thank are:

Renault

Chain Reaction

Athlon Sport

Kask Helmets

Cosaveli

Dress2Kill

BLM Law

Tudor Sports

Wish us well and we shall report our adventures throughout the ride.

Mike