Day 26, 10th September

Pavia to Cremona 50 miles

They both had their first proper gelati last night and so set forth this morning with renewed vigour. As the day wore on the weather got uncomfortably hot and so tomorrow they are going to start earlier in the day to get as many miles under their belt before the midday sun starts to beat down. Again the going was smooth as they are still riding in the Lombardy plain but they are still plagued by the thundering lorries. Gerard has worked out how to tackle the level crossings which they come across so often and where they had their accident whilst in France - get off and walk over. Seems to me extremely sensible and will stop any other mishaps. They are both still slapping on ointment from their last crash.

The pedalling pair have got to Cremona - the city of violins and cellos. They report it's totally lovely with a fantastic Duomo with amazing frescoes and marble front. The whole place is jam pack full of people on bikes and getting to dinner was fraught with danger. Quite ironic in the circumstances.

Day 25, 9th September

Monferrato to Pavia 45 miles

The weather continued to be perfect although now getting a little hot during the height of the day. Because they are travelling down the Po valley the going was smooth and easy, a well deserved rest after their Hannibal-like exploits of the previous week. There was only one major drawback and that was the narrowness of the road. It's rather crumbly on the verge side, where most cyclist travel, and the road was inundated with HUGE lorries all going towards or from the autostrada network.This all makes for sometimes very scary times. However they both report that the drivers so far are extremely polite and competent. Let's hope it continues.

They arrived in the charming university town of Pavia n the afternoon which has a wonderful Duomo partly built by Leonardo and Bramante. They are both going out to hunt out a gourmet Italian meal tonight after only eating soggy pizza for lunch.

Day 24, 8thSeptember

Turin to Casale Monferrato 45 miles

Perfect weather for a smooth ride to-day. They have reached the river Po and the whole countryside is covered in rice fields which is giving a true flavour of southern Europe. They got on so well that they managed to trigger a speed camera that clocked them doing a supersonic 24 k.p.h. The whole journey took 5 hours which is very good going. Another eight days and they reach the halfway point on the journey - quite a landmark.

The desperate duo had a wonderful time sight seeing in Turin on their rest day, yesterday.They visited the Royal Palace and the Chapel with the famous Shroud. The Museum of Decorative Arts and a fantastic Egyptian exhibition. Having fully exhausted themselves they then watched a parade of soldiers with thousands of others in the courtyard of the palace. Edith reports that Gerard is embarrassing them by trying to speak Italian. I have informed him that being a perfect French and Spanish speaker does not mean that Italian is the same. Luckily the locals don't seem to mind too much. I hope they don't over do it and I have told Gerard that English is a perfectly respectable language when abroad.

Day 23, 6th September

Susa to Turin, 40 miles 3.5 hours

What a contrast to the last few days! The fastest run to date on a pleasant warm day but without glaring sun, just a layer of cloud to keep it just right. Flat countryside across the Lombard Plain. They got a wonderful reception from the Italians who spotted their “London to Jerusalem" pennant on the bicycle and cheered them. Sometimes stopping them to congratulate. They had many great conversations. Such warmth and friendliness. It really got them up again.

They arrived in time for lunch in the outskirts of Turin and are staying in a hotel outside the centre. In Italy the world closes for the weekend so they could not get any laundry done in the hotel. Their bathroom is now converted into a veritable Chinese laundry with clothes hanging all over the place!

Tomorrow, Sunday is a rest day. Turin will be an interesting city to visit. Capital of Piedmont and the Kings/Dukes of Savoy. It is also the home to the Shroud of Turin.

Please tell everybody about the blog on www.londontojerusalem08.blogspot.com and ask them to donate on the Marie Curie website. Gerard and Edith have so far raised £17,500 and the money is still rolling in.

Day 21-21 4th & 5th September

Chambery to Susa, 65 miles

Your previous reporter has returned temporarily having been in climes south.

Edith and Gerard have had a torrid time in the Alps. The route from Chambery to Susa in Italy was always going to be tough. However, yesterday the day was halted prematurely due to heavy Alpine thunderstorms which completely brought the Savoy side of the Alps to a standstill. They had to curtail their ride due to the very inclement weather – lightening, thunder and torrential rain for a whole day.

Today thought they started off from St Jean de Maurienne at the base of the Col du Mont Cenis and the crossing over to Italy. This is the route that Hannibal took over the Alps with his elephants. More recently it is one of the famous mountain stages of the Tour de France!! The day started off quite well with clear skies after yesterday’s storm. But they had a crash at a railway level crossing. Gerard has grazed one knee badly and Edith has a slash to her thigh. Their helmets saved them from further injury as they hit the deck going quite fast. This did not deter them and they picked themselves up to face the steepest part of the climb. They had a gruelling ascent over the worst 32 kilometers which took them 4 hours on interminable hairpin bends. They had plenty of company from other cyclists who regularly do this on racing bikes to emulate their Tour de France heroes. But the parental did it on a tandem with full panniers and cuts and bruises – truly heroic and showing true British grit to the frogs!! The descent though easier was also steep and down more hairpin bends. This phase is actually more dangerous than the way up.

They, as ever, always had time for the scenery which they found really beautiful. They are now in Italy at the pleasant town of Susa, which is roman inn foundation and still has a triumphal arch and other relics of the period.

So far they have travelled 643 miles (over 1,000 km) and still up and running.

Day 18-19 2nd to 3rd September

Perouges to Morestel 26 miles

They had an incredibly lucky break to-day. They stopped at the tourist Office to ask the best route avoiding any steep cols or tunnels. They were furnished with the information and set off in good spirits. Although the route was slightly longer than the original plan it was very smooth going and they made their destination in excellent time. The weather was very hot which is better than rain but requires an awful lot of re hydration.

The only drawback was when they arrived, the hostelry was firmly shut and they had to spend a long while searching for the owner to let them in. However by the time I spoke to them they were ensconced and ready to go and eat.

Morestel to Chambery 52 miles

A day of high drama. Before setting off they were told a cyclone was on the way which worried Edith a great deal. The result was that although Gerard manged to eat a gargantuan meal Edith's appetite was cut and she was hardly able to eat. They later had a lucky escape from a lunatic driver who cut in too early which meant the bike was crushed against the kerb. The pedal caught on Gerard's leg and he has slightly hurt it. When quizzed by me about the exact nature of the injury all he will say is that it is 'a bit bloody but he will be fine'.

About 15 kilometres short of Chambery Edith suddenly felt totally drained and exhausted and felt she had to stop. Sadly when you are in the middle of nowhere it's difficult to know what to do. However they saw a furniture van and asked if they could catch a lift. The man was very apologetic and said that the van was full so he couldn't help. A little further on, he stopped and suggested that if his son rode on the back of the Tandem Edith could sit in the van. This was agreed and they all set off. The driver was a doctor with his student son who were moving his recently deceased mother's furniture from her home. Gerard reports that the student was a quite good peddler but when not used to how a tandem works it's rather scary. He also waved to all his passing girlfriend's chatting away with them asking what he was doing. They arrived at the man's house where upon because of the doctor's kindness they helped unload an entire van load of goods including fridges and large tables. I wonder what the difference is between energy expended on cycling and on furniture removal? Finally, having helped, the doctor drove them into Chambery.

The countryside is beautiful in this area and they saw waterfalls, a dam and they rode through canyons and tunnels. The going was not bad but a lot of ups and downs not surprising as it's the Alps. They both sounded well and they still managed to ride 52 miles and only 6 in the van. Let's hope tomorrow is a little less dramatic!

Day 17 1st September

Bourg en Bresse to Peruges 26 miles

They set off this morning having had an excellent two day rest. A few good meals were consumed and a lot of sleeping done. However they did manage to visit the church at Brou which was truely outstanding. It's constructed of pumice stone and was built by Margaret of Austria, daughter of the Emperor Maximilian, wife of Philibert II Duke of Savoy. She is buried there with her husband and a visit is very worthwhile.

The ride itself was fairly easy apart from the final climb into Perouges. All the towns, for security, tend to be built on the hills which means there is always a climb at the end. There were no sore limbs or muscles from the previous few days which was a relief. They are now in the old Duchy of Savoy and the alpine air is close. Perouges is the most charming town a bit like Carcassone but prettier. The locals seem to be experts at lovely medieval architecture and although one sees the signs to Perouges if you ever go to into the French Alps one now knows to stop and have a look at some of these jewels.

Tomorrow's route is being re-studied to ensure the steep climbs are kept to a minimum as from now on the true ascent into the passes to Italy begins.