Rob, Julian and the rest of the guys have arrived in Wells safe and sound after 97km through the beautiful Somerset countryside. We now have the pleasure of staying in the beautiful Hotel du Vin Bristol for this evening before tomorrow's journey to Cheltenham.
Click below to see our short video diary and be sure to check back each day to see how the guys are getting on.
Ok, so the weather's not perfect but Rob and Julian, along with 2 other riders, and followed faithfully by Love Velo, will start their ride from St James' Park, Exeter to St James' Park, Newcastle. Their goal is to complete this cycle adventure in 7 days and with your support, we are sure they can make it.
You can follow our route every day via the blog, Twitter and Facebook and we will be posting video and pictures as we go. Below is our entire journey and you can click into the map and see every twist and turn we will be making. If we are coming past you, a wave or a bag of sweets would be very much appreciated!
The popularity of amateur cycling races can be traced back far but it's the Etape's inaugural 1993 event which really helped put cycling on the mainstream map in recent years.
However, things have been becoming a little stale. The Etape has become relatively mainstream, it's A to B route causes logistical headaches for individuals, but above all, like music, when something becomes well known, it loses a little bit of the cool edginess that made it so attractive in the first place. In fact last year, La Marmotte was so over subscribed because many people saw this lesser known race as a better option than Acte 2 of the Etape seeing as both races had similarities in their route.
Enter the Italian Granfondos. It's not that they are new, in fact the Nove Colli in Cesenatico is 42 years old, it's that they are cool. Italian cycling conjures up pictures of cappuccino drinking cyclists stopping for a read of Gazzetta della Sport amid awe inspiring scenery. Now we've been to many Italian sportifs, but this year, we visited the grand-daddy of them all and had to share our experience with you.
The Maratona dles Dolomites granfondo, situated in the Alta Badia region of the Dolomites, can only be reached by coming off a motorway at least an hour from your destination. So forget cars and traffic and just imagine mountain passes and snaking switchbacks all the way down into small towns like Corvara, where we stayed, and where the Maratona finish line is.
We had the pleasure of taking 10 riders to the event, we stayed in a fabulous hotel overlooking the mountains and each night, we had the pleasure of eating dinner with a picture perfect view out of the windows:
We spent a few days exploring the region on the bike, led by our ever faithful Italian guide Manuel before readying ourselves for the 140km or 106km race on the Sunday. 13,000 riders freewheeled to the start line and then the moment we had been waiting for, the starting tape dropped, and 13,000 cyclists began their epic adventure into the most picturesque cycling terrain anywhere in Europe.
They say a picture tells a thousand words and so a video presumably tells a few more. So instead of telling you quite how stunning the backdrop is to this ride, we thought we'd share our video with you below.
If you want to join us for our Maratona experience in 2013, give us a call on 020 8959 0281 or email us at
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and we will reserve you your space subject to availability.
Sky Sports News presenters Rob Wotton and Julian Waters are now under a week away from the start of their epic trip from Exeter to Newcastle. Training has been going well aboard their shiny new bikes, kindly provided by Starley, and if you cycle in Surrey, you may have seen two very anxious men pass you in full lycra over the last couple of weeks.
Here's a shot of Mr W getting a little over excited that he is cycling through a village dedicated to himself and his family!
Then there is Bradley Walters-Wiggins in full Sky kit, looking every inch the pro.
and finally, the loser of the Sky Sports News timetrial receives his punishment.
All that is left for now is for them to have big plates of pasta between now and Friday!
Please give as much as you can to Rob and Julian as we help them across the country as they raise vital and needed funds for Retts Syndrome via curefordylan.
You can donate by going on to justgiving or by texting 70070 stating the code: STJA99 and the amount.
This summer, we are organising a ride for Sky Sports News presenters Rob Wotton and Julian Waters. Rob and Julian are riding from St James Park, Exeter to St James' Park, Newcastle, raising funds for Retts Syndrome via curefordylan.
Dylan, one of their producer's daughter, suffers from Retts which means she is trapped insider her own body without the ability to communicate. She can't talk, walks, use her hands or feed herself. She is only 2 years old.
Recent research has however shown that it is possible to reverse this neurological disorder but the only reason that the research has not been developed further is money. MONEY! There is therefore a chance for thousands of little girls, who it was assumed would suffer for their entire lives, to be cured. That's why, we are organising Julian's and Rob's gruelling week long ride from one end of the country to the other - don't worry though, we aren't taking a single penny for our efforts as we want everything raised to go directly to this amazing charity.
Each day we will be sharing video on Facebook and Twitter and hopefully Sky Sports News will be reporting on the ride so please follow us and share our links. Join Love Velo, Rob and Julian without ever leaving your computer as we go on an epic 400 mile adventure. And who knows, video of Rob and Julian in an ice bath or a couple of celebs in lycra might be your reward for following our journey.
You can donate by going on to justgiving or by texting 70070 stating the code: STJA99 and the amount.
