The story starts several months ago with a call from Marian Cassidy, the head teacher at St Johns Junior School (Reigate) to Scott Bugden while he was still the British Cycling go-Ride Coach for this area.

Marian was off to Wattrelos, which has links with Reigate through the twinning association... and her question was 'would young cyclists be interested in having a link?'

Scott passed the question on to me to reply to Marian and I said 'please tell us more'

So one of the members of the Town Twinning Association called Janet Powell has been in touch with me to see what we are and what we might be interested in.... and what Wattrelos might have to offer.

What we have found is that there is no exact equivalent to Redhill Raiders in Wattrelos.... but there is an organisation that runs a calendar of walks and cycle rides every weekend

You can find more information about it on its web site:  www.ententerando-wattrelos.fr

The link man is Pierre Buseyne and he has the title of

Président de l'Entente des Randonneurs Wattrelosiens

Janet and Pierre are meeting on Thursday 11 February and Janet asks me what interest would there be in some Raiders' families going over for a weekend in the summer, staying  in a low-cost motel in Wattrelos and getting in a couple of rides?
 
 
I had a "yes please" response from four riders before the date.
 
 
You can still add your name to the list, though.

It would be a sort of breaking-the-ice start.
 

The bonus (and to me it's a very big one).... if it all comes to something.... is that Wattrelos is a northern suburb of Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix is one of the biggest one-day spring classic cycle races on the calendar.... with a course taking in about 30 stretches of cobbles.... so if things move forward this summer then 2011 might see us out there to see that live!!

Well, well ... Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, George Hincapie, Alessandro Ballan all before your very eyes.

Please reply if you'd potentially be interested in a weekend in northern France sometime this summer to  John Leitch.................. either by phone or on email.............. johnleitch65@googlemail.com