An interview with.....

Hot on the heels of a minor cycling road race in France which finished recently, a team from Burges Salmon plans to cycle to Paris to raise funds for the Jessie May Trust in September. The team comprises the unlikely combination of Beth Tricker, Sally Jupp, Huw Cooke, Jamie Cameron, Rich Stovell, Chris Seaton and Richard Spink. Rumours are that Richard "Lance Armstrong" Spink will be looking for the yellow winner's jersey on this inaugural event. He took time out from his punishing training schedule to answer a few questions about the event and his ambitions.

Q: How is the training going?
A: Not quite as I had hoped at this stage, but hopefully better than Chris's, certainly worse than Huw and Jamie. Beth is scarily fit, Sally is in some overseas training camp and Rich is ....well, Rich has momentum. I have managed to find my bike at least and Chris is somewhere on the Atlantic at least 500 miles from a bike.

Q: Are there any specific things that you are doing as a team to prepare for the event?
A: We're expecting that Jamie and Huw will use this as an excuse to get their legs waxed again. I've been reading Lance Armstong's "It's Not about the Bike" and in our case that's definitely the case...it'll take more than fancy carbon fibre forks and slick tyres to get us to Paris! Seaton is brushing up on his French so that he can hitch a ride in a fast car. Sally is in India seeing her guru. Pretty much anything except getting on a bike.

Q: What are you most looking forward to?
A: Seeing Chris Seaton bonk [Ed - a technical cycling term when someone runs out of energy and collapses], watching Huw trying to load all of the bikes in one van every night (he says they should fit but I'm not convinced...), cycling round the Arc de Triomphe, seeing the Champs-Elysees and getting to the finish line.

Q: Isn't Huw a bit of a demon on a bike?
A: Well he did compete in an event last year which was a race over one of the mountain stages of the Tour de France but frankly we all know that a few all nighters in corporate finance is at least equivalent to that, but he does seem to be putting in a few cheeky hours of training which is slightly irritating of him.

Q:Is there anything that you are not looking forward to?
A:Most of it....riding behind Rich Stovell in lycra. Sitting on a narrow bike saddle for 4 days. Running out of vaseline. Getting beaten by Seaton. Wearing lycra shorts on a cold day.

Q: Is there anything particular that you will be taking with you?
A: Spare tyres (rumour has it that some of the team are focussing too heavily on these rather than the training), and a very comfortable chair for the end of each day.

Q: Who do you think will win the King of the Mountains prize and the famous polka dot jersey this year?
A: Rich Stovell - he thinks the jersey will match his itsy witsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini

Q: What long term impact is this ride going to have on your life?
A: Probably will never ride a bike again. Certainly won't be able to have any more kids.

Q:Finally, how much money are you aiming to raise?
A:We have set ourselves the target of raising at least £20,000 for the Jessie May Trust. The bike ride is going to really hurt us (particularly Chris and me), so please donate generously at our justgiving website (www.justgiving.com/bristoltoparis )or in September when we start collecting around the firm.