MATT & ANDY'S BIG ADVENTURE.
THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF USA COAST2COAST 2008.
First of all, thanks for your patience! We're all back in the UK now and at last we've had some time to sit down and get some more information on to the site.
There's plenty of pictures on here now and a final blog. If you can show a little more patience then there will be a more in depth debrief in due course, but you've got to understand that there is just so much information to disseminate and some of it much more interesting than others!
Anyway, have a look at the pictures section and the blog and we'll speak to you all very soon!
Welcome to our website! We just thought we'd take this opportunity to give you all a bit more background information as to what exactly this is about as well as the when and the why -
1. Scope
Oceanside, California to Atlantic City, New Jersey - West to East USA, 3,043 miles (The route of Race Across America 2007). Leaving London July 12th, the cycling will begin 4 days later...
Matthew Dowse and Andrew Wyeth are great buddies. They play rugby together for Rosslyn Park Football Club in South West London, England, and in the summer of 2006 embarked on riding 1,000 miles on their bikes from Land’s End at the very South Westerly tip of England to John O’Groats in Scotland , the most Northerly point of mainland UK . They completed this in 8 days and along the way helped raise money for a community and church based building project in Croydon, Surrey . As soon as the ride had finished, discussion ensued of greater and bigger challenges and in aid of a charity that was very close to both of their hearts.
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Matthew and Andrew’s mums both died of cancer. Pippa Dowse was diagnosed with cancer of the womb in 2002 which she battled and defeated. Unfortunately, in 2004 a tumour was found on the outside of her colon which then affected her liver and kidneys. Although she eventually lost her battle against cancer in May 2005, it was the Royal Marsden Hospital in London that provided not only a great deal of expertise, but also support and compassion during tough times. She was 66. Gwyneth Wyeth had myeloma, a form of Leukaemia, and passed away in December 2001, she was 68. The mother of 2 girls and one boy she sacrificed much, as most parents do, so that her children could grow up to enjoy their lives to the full.
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The Charities.
The Royal Marsden Hospital was the first hospital in the world dedicated to cancer treatment and research into the causes of cancer. Today the hospital with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, forms the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe with over 40,000 patients from the UK and abroad seen each year. The Trust provides inpatient, day care and outpatient services for all areas of cancer treatment, pioneering and innovating in all areas of cancer treatment. It is a leader in its field, striving for excellence.
As you may have heard on 2nd January, 2008 a major fire swept through the Royal Marsden Hospital , Chelsea . Much of the roof was destroyed and a number of operating theatres were badly damaged by the blaze. However, services were returned to near normal in less than a week, with all the costs of the damages being covered by insurance.
Leukaemia Research is the only charity in the UK dedicated exclusively to researching blood cancers and disorders including leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and other lymphomas, and myeloma. Their scientists and doctors work in over fifty top research centres across the UK . They are seeking to improve diagnosis of blood disorders and treatments for patients, and to find a cure for blood cancers. They support patients, their families and friends by providing them a free information service including a range of over 40 publications. LR need to raise more than £100 million over the next five years to sustain their investment and as they receive no Government grants their life-saving research depends entirely on voluntary donations.
2. The Challenge
Matthew and Andrew’s quest is to complete the USA coast to coast ride in 12-15 days which amounts to 200-250 miles a day, riding at an average speed of 20+ mph whilst raising as much money as possible for Leukaemia Research, The Royal Marsden Hospital and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. They would love to top as much as £100k, but clearly this is down to the generosity of individuals, organisations and companies alike, along with lots of publicity!
3. How you can help?
The boys are looking for sponsorship in various different forms and would be grateful for any kind of donation or support, large or small.
They are looking for companies and organisations to sponsor or part sponsor some of the logistical costs and aspects of the USAc2c2008 kit for some publicity in return, which is a big win-win for all concerned.
If you would like to find out more on how you could help then please email Andrew and Matthew at usac2c08@aol.com
You can donate on-line by going to: http://www.justgiving.com/usacoast2coast2008 or by cheque payable to 'USA Coast 2 Coast 2008'.
Thank you.
Andrew Wyeth & Matthew Dowse