Elswood Cycles has risen from the ashes of Holdsworth on Lower Richmond Road

A Putney business will heading to France this July to support a charity effort to ride the Tour de France route “one day ahead”. Bob Smith, from Elswood Cycleworks, will be providing mechanical support for 20 riders, led by former England footballer Geoff Thomas - pictured right.

They will be accompanied by controversial cyclist Lance Armstrong for part of the ride.
The event expects to raise one million pounds for Cure Leukaemia.

The participants will be riding 3344 kilometres over 21 stages.




The stages include; 9 flat, 3 hilly, 7 mountain, 2 time trials and 2 rest days. The team at Elswood Cycleworks - who will be known to many local cyclists as the former management team from Holdsworth Cycles - have experience of supporting corporate and charity cycle rides, as well as providing full bike servicing all year round at their newly opened shop on Lower Richmond Road.

Bob admits he is excited about taking on the challenge: “I’ve worked on many cycling events, but this will certainly be the toughest I’ve undertaken, both for the cyclists and the team supporting them. It will be my job to make sure their bikes are on top form throughout the event, to enable them to keep pushing their limits”. The success of the ride depends not only on the fitness and determination of the riders, but the skills of an expert support team including mechanics, physiotherapists, nutritionists and paramedics.

The event promises to provide new challenges for Bob: “We are used to providing all kinds of mechanical support to cyclists, from fine tuning elite racing bikes, to people dropping in to get a puncture fixed. It is difficult to predict what different problems people will have, so I have to be prepared for anything. And I have to be able to provide that service on the spot, even if it is on the cobbles of the Seraing to Cambrai stage, or on a hairpin bend on the brutal climb up to Alpe d'Huez. The riders will be relying on me to fix their problems thoroughly and pragmatically, and that’s a principle we try to apply to all our work”.

The event will finish in Paris on 25th July, when the riders and their support team will enjoy a well-earned celebration prior to watching the professional riders finish the Tour the following day.

June 25, 2015