Geoff Thomas Foundation

STAGE 20

MARCOUSSIS TO PARIS, 146 km

TUESDAY afternoon, at around 4.30pm Paris time, Dave Granger, Steve Timmins,
Mike Grisenthwaite and Phil Bullas turned onto the Place de la Concorde and rode
onto the Champs Elysees where about 50 family and friends from the Geoff Thomas
Foundation were waiting to greet them.

I sat at the back of the group of riders, taking it all in. It was a similar
scene but a very different feeling to that of two years ago when myself and four
other riders finished the 21 days of the Tour de France route.

And, if I am perfectly honest, I could not have been happier on Tuesday as I
thought back on the remarkable achievements of the four cancer survivors who
rode with Team Thomas in 2007.

I thought back to the day, on stage seven, when Bully finally had to get off
his bike after the tendonitis in his knee became unbearable. He had struggled
manfully for three days in agony but, with help and advice from our medical
people, he realised he could go no further.

It was a measure of the man that, rather than sulk or feel sorry for himself,
Bully became a key member of our support team to help his team mates through to
Paris. Pumped with pain killers, he got back on the bike and rode the last stage
into Paris and I couldn't have been happier for him.

I thought back about the numerous late night finishes that Griz had in the
mountains where gravity and 10 per cent plus gradients brought him to the brink
of despair. But not once did I ever think Griz would quit. Others might have
been surprised to see him ride up the Champs Elysees on Tuesday. I wasn't.

I watched Steve ride into the arms of his wife and two daughters on Tuesday
with a special sense of satisfaction. A man of few words - as we repeatedly
reminded him in our mickey-taking way! - Steve was the most impressive rider of
this whole group. The way he attacked the Galibier and Aubisque - two mountains
that had given him problems in the past and which he felt he owed something -
was stunning. It was typical of Steve that after battering the Aubisque into
submission with a Lance Armstrong-like performance the other day, he just got
off his bike and said "Crikey, bit steep that wasn't it?"

But if any one rider summed up the spirit I hoped to capture when I put this
plan together late last year it was Dave Granger - Grave Danger as he became
known to us all.

In April, Dave was still being fed via a tube into his stomach following his
treatment for throat cancer. He could not start training properly until May. A
couple of months later, he had ridden over 3,500 km around France.

I know for a fact that every one of us in Team Thomas, riders and support
staff alike, were worried about Dave time and time again throughout this Tour.
He found eating difficult and the weight dropped off him. He found sleeping
difficult because of lingering throat and mouth problems and the fatigue was
obvious as the Tour went on.

All the guys were willing to put their health on the line by pushing
themselves to the limit on the Tour. In Dave's case, there were times we thought
he was putting his life on the line.

But, as I found out two years ago, the mental and physical battle you face
against this terrible, evil disease broadens your limits and gives you a
different view about yourself and what you can achieve.

When you are diagnosed with cancer, it changes your life. Tragically, those
changes can be for the worse. But, often, they can be for the better. Dave
Granger illustrated that fact perfectly with his courage, strength of spirit and
bloody-minded determination.

Two years ago, I received so much good will. People would literally come up
to me and say, "Wow! I can't believe what you did, you're an inspiration."

But I feel that the spirit I showed two years ago is in everybody. It is
certainly in the hundreds of cancer patients I have got to know over the years
and whom I've sat alongside in waiting rooms.

My idea in the 2007 Tour was to give these four guys the chance to be an
inspiration to people as well. All too often, charity work focuses on the
celebrities - who are doing fantastic work, don't get me wrong. But I wanted to
focus on the so-called "man in the street" to show how special and inspirational
so many cancer patients are.

These four guys have done exactly that ... and much, much more.

Two years ago, the lads insisted on me leading them onto the Champs Elysees
and the riders this year tried to get me to do the same. I refused.

I wanted the day and the Tour to be about the four cancer survivors and, more
selfishly, I wanted to sit back and watch it all happen and not miss a moment of
it.

I loved the fact the guys got to wear their yellow jerseys and I purposely
wore the regular kit because they deserved it more than I did. I loved the
reaction from their families when they finally finished. And I loved the fact
that Bully was finally able to ride with us and that my old mate Gio -
65-years-young - and one of our key sponsors, Dan Ellmore from Impsport, were
able to ride with us for one last time.

Another of our key sponsors have been sports nutrition people Science in
Sport and SIS's Pete Slater was the key support rider of this Tour. There were
days, particularly on the windy, flat stages of the first week, when he
single-handedly bore the work load for the whole group of riders and, while I
never doubted the guys would finish, Pete certainly made life a lot easier for
many of them. He's a phenomenal rider and great supporter of the Foundation.

The last day was, in fact, an enjoyable day out. We didn't ride too hard, the
route through some busy Paris suburbs was not going to allow for that. And the
fact the guys had so many miles in their legs made it a stroll in the park
compared to what we've been used to.

The ride up the Champs Elysees was a lot safer and easier than I remembered
it two years ago, as well. There were more of us this time and I think there was
safety in numbers.

On the Champs, our supporters had been waiting for a couple of hours and been
moved on a couple of times by secret police who were busy because the French
President was doing something nearby. In the end, they became very friendly with
our supporters and helped us find a safe spot to finish so we even ended up with
our own private police force for the day!

And, of course, from a personal point of view, it was special to be reunited
with my wife Julie and girls Madison and Georgia. It wasn't quite as emotional
as two years ago but, as we held our end of Tour dinner in a restaurant that
night, emotions were running high.

I'm not an emotional man usually but when I thought of what I have witnessed
over the past three weeks, I was close to being a blubbering wreck!

The funny thing about this Tour for me was the fact that I am a much better
and stronger cyclist this year than I was two years ago. On certain stages this
year I wondered how the heck I managed to get around two years ago - especially
when we took on the Galibier again

I think sheer determination got me through two years ago and, if I'm honest,
there are whole sections from 2005 that I can't even remember. All the stages
from then tend to blend into one long period of suffering and fatigue. This
time, because I was so much stronger, it was far more enjoyable and memorable.

There were even days when I was able to help out at the front or give shelter
to some of the guys who might have been struggling. But, as I know too well from
my football days, it only takes a virus or injury and things can come unstuck.
That's what happened when I succumbed to a chest infection ... not that it
mattered in the scheme of things.

Working with the support staff for the half dozen stages I did, I got to know
what a special bunch of people they are. Brothers John and Mick Frewing brought
their unique Cockney humour to the group and seemed to put in 25-hour days to
help drive us around.

Tom Love - "Doctor Love" as he'll be forever known to us - performed
magnificently and tirelessly in keeping us fed and watered. You'll never believe
how much work is involved in doing that until you see it in action. Danielle
Hinves is a talented young masseuse who not only looked after our physical
well-being but returns to England as a budding professional rally car driver!
And, though she was only with us for the last ten days or so, Kate Nash, who
works in the sports psychology business, must have had a field day studying our
little group! She quickly became an important part of the support crew.

The guys from the documentary crew - Kat, Dave, Markus and Laine - also
performed above and beyond the call of duty, doing their own film-making jobs
but providing us with tons of back-up as well. Markus put together a superb
25-minute documentary which he showed at our end-of-Tour dinner and, if the
finished programme is half as good, it will be superb!

But if there is one special word I have to reserve it's for Becky Frewing,
the Foundation's driving force and my PA. This Tour wouldn't have happened
without her and the work she has put in since she joined in January. I never
ceased to be amazed by her professionalism and tireless work ethic. Getting her
family and friends involved in the support staff just summed up her attitude and
commitment to what we're doing.

I'd love to take credit for at least some of this ... but I can't! It's all
down to Becky.

Tuesday night, again all organised by Becky, was the perfect way for this to
end and I was thrilled at the unity - one of the Foundation's key words - that
all the riders showed.

Many people may not realise how tough a task riding the Tour is and, by
definition, all the guys in the group are very strong-willed personalities. That
led to some conflict along the way but that is no more than I would have
expected. We had a sit-down and heart-to-heart in Toulouse just over halfway
through and it worked wonders

I've been involved in numerous sports teams over the years and I have seen
all this before. I knew that by the time we got to Paris we would be a
close-knit group and that is exactly what happened. The word that sprung to mind
was "unity." We were a fully united group by the time we reached the finish line
and we will remain so for the rest of our lives.

Also at the finish line were key people from GTF. Professor Charlie Craddock
- the man I've always said saved my life - and two Foundation trustees Alfred
Bartlett and Graham Silk were there with their families. We had the chance to
have a long chat about the Foundation's future.

We want to use this Tour ride as the springboard for spreading the message of
what the Foundation is all about. Charlie is a Professor at one of our five
specialist centres and our first job is to get Professors from the five centres
together so they understand precisely what we are trying to do.

From there, we need to get out to big corporate business to explain what we
are about and to seek backing. We have such a strong, clear, positive message to
shout about that I will be knocking on everybody's door until we get the
feedback we want.

It is a fabulous opportunity because, with the quality of the nurses and
Professors we have working in the field and who are willing to work together, we
can see results very quickly.

Moving forward, I won't rest until we start seeing those results.

And, if I ever need inspiration as I carry on working for the Foundation, I
need only think back to the last three weeks in France and the efforts of Dave,
Griz, Bully and Steve.