AFTER completing 12 years of schooling and an intense period of A-Level examinations, ten teenagers from a Leatherhead school could be forgiven for taking a nice, long rest this summer.
But instead, the energetic group from St John's School will get straight on their bikes for a 200-mile ride to Paris on behalf of five charities: the Sunnybank Trust, Momentum, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the London Air Ambulance and the Autism Trust.
The upper sixth formers – James Stewart, Robbie Ventham, Fergus Lupton, Jed McInnes, Jimmy McCarthy, Jamie Gracey, Oscar Gilroy, Tom Goldsmith, Matt Beevor and Luke Clark – leave on June 23 and hope to raise £2,000 by the time they reach the Champs-Elysee three days later.
James Stewart, who turns 18 tomorrow (Friday), told the Advertiser: "Last year another group from our school did the same thing so we thought we would try to emulate their success and raise some money for charity and have fun at the same time.
"We were all already interested in cycling so this term we have gone out around the area every Tuesday and Thursday during sport time to train.
"That's not enough on its own, so we have gone out for several training rides at weekends too. We've gradually built it up so we are now doing about 50 or 60 miles."
The riders start with a simple downhill trundle of 65 miles to Portsmouth before an overnight rest on the ferry to Le Havre.
Stage two will see them tackle a more strenuous 70 miles to a hostel in Evreux before the final 70 miles to the French capital.
"I have a mixture of feelings about it," said James.
"I'm really excited because I love cycling, but I'm slightly apprehensive because it's a very long way.
"I haven't cycled 200 miles in three days before, but I think we'll cope because we're quite fit now; another month of training and we should be more than ready."
To sponsor the riders, visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/LTP2013
