Hi Everyone,

Well a quick update on our first ever fund raising event to celebrate the life of Andrew Best, who passed away in December 2008 from metastatic melonoma. As many of you will know our cycle event was a tremendous success and all those who were there felt they were part of something really special. 145 of us took to the bikes and cycled 140 miles from Scotland to N. Ireland, but that was only half the story - many many more people and companies contributed to the success of the weekend which has resulted in us raising more than £115,000 to date.

We set off from Edinburgh on the 12th June 2009 and after some initial hiccups along the canal tow path (including a cyclist who shall remain anonymous falling into the canal!), we all made it to Glasgow Firhill, several hours and inner tubes later. We had a fantastic night at Whitecraigs RFC, a great BBQ followed by a few shandies to set us up for the next days cycling. The hard core element of the peloton braved sleeping in the group marquees on the rugby club pitches - but even the midges, hayfever and the chorus of snoring did not shake the mood in the camp and we were all up and raring to go for stage 2 - Glasgow to Troon.

Although the shortest of stages (28 miles) the hilly climbs at the start of the course meant it proved more taxing than many had thought it would be. We all made it in one piece to Marr RFC in Troon, the vast majority in time to take on more "sports drink" fluids and catch the Lions v Western Provice game. By the time it came to go for the ferry everyone had perhaps over indulged on the "sports drinks" and getting folk on the ferry was like the proverbial herding of cats.

We made it onboard with minutes to spare at 8pm and were soon sailing across the irish sea full of fresh excitement for what lay ahead on our final stage 3 the next day and safe in the knowledge that Ballyclare RFC were keeping the bar open late, especially for our arrival. We arrived at Larne and boarded our impeccably organised coaches to various destinations, with the majority heading to the local Ballyclare RFC to take up residence for the evening. The bar was still open and we made sure it was worth their effort and many kept drinking until the wee small hours, our cyclists were always selfless in that respect!

Sunday 14th June and Stage 3, Ballyclare to Portadown and the arrival of many fresh recruits, smuggly joining a peloton now into its third day of hungover cycling. The last stage was 39 miles of rolling Irish countryside on what started off as a bright sunny day and ended with a monsoon, the likes of which is rarely seen, even in the Emerald Isle. However it made the final miles all the more poignant for many of us and a reminder of why we were doing ride, for us it brought the ride to life and the rain along with the sheer number of volunteers along the length of the final stage is something we will never forget.

After we had rounded up a couple of strays and we were all safely ensconced at Portadown RFC, we enjoyed a huge BBQ, all the food for which was donated by local companies and charity groups, it really was fantastic. We said our thank yous and then held our charity auction and raffle, with prizes donated by sponsors and sportsmen such as Sir Chris Hoy and the Grand Slam winning Irish Rugby team.

We had a fantastic weekend, all the hard work paid off and the Best family would like to thank all those who helped the weekend work so well and make it such a fitting tribute to our Andrew.

If you want to see some pictures of the event click here , there is also a video slideshow available here which captures the day very well.

Watch this space for future events that we are planning in Andrew's name.

Many Thanks,

The Best Family