Nine days, three countries and one bike.

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Deborah Heath, owner of Design by Deborah, member of Fine & Country Interior Design, will tackle the longest and toughest cycle Raid on 15th-24th August. 

To support Deborah’s epic challenge to fight the causes of homelessness, click here.

The Raid Dolomite will take the cyclists through France, Switzerland and Italy in just nine days. Starting at Lake Geneva, the quiet and winding Alpine roads are a gentle start to the adventure. However, the route quickly became steep and mountainous, bringing Deborah to ascents of 3,100m (10,170 ft). 

Deborah has successfully completed Raid Pyrenees, Raid Alpine and Raid Corsica. Raid Dolomite is the final challenge of the races classified as Raids. 

Deborah said: “The challenge requires stamina and hard work, which suits my personality. We will ride through some of the most stunning scenery and develop a real camaraderie to keep each other motivated.

“I am quite nervous having developed a chest infection which means I can’t train at the moment. I was supposed to be doing a hard training session this weekend (28th-29th July) as the last push before tapering before the event, but my trainer advised me to concentrate on getting better. I know that even if I could train at the moment, I would continue to feel as if I haven’t have done enough.”

Within her interior design company, Deborah works with some of the most beautiful properties in the world to help them reach their full potential. She has decided to combine her love of cycling with the opportunity to help those less fortunate. The Fine & Country Foundation support homeless charities in the UK and overseas. The money raised by Deborah’s challenge will contribute to the autumn grant pot which is open 1st-31st October. 

In spring, The Fine & Country Foundation gave more than £60,000 to homeless causes. Find out more about the charities and their projects here. 

To support Deborah’s challenge for homelessness, click here.

Fun facts and meanings

1. Raids: extreme-endurance, timed cycle challenges organised by a French committee to regions across Europe. Officials and organisers stamp the cyclists’ records around three times a day to prove that they have completed the course.
2. Tapering: athletes gradually reduce the intensity of their training as their big event approaches. It gives muscles the time to repair and strength before the big push on the day and lessens the chance of injury so close to the event. This is common with marathon runners, cyclists, swimmers and other endurance sports.
3. The distance Raid Dolomite covers 1,219 kilometres which is an average of 135.4 km per day.
4. The average ascent each day is 2,313 metres.
5. In the 1860s, France coined the word “bicycle”.
6. There are twice as many bicycles in the world than cars.
7. The penny-farthing bicycle, widely known for its giant front wheel and tiny back wheel, was invented in 1871 by British Engineer, James Starley.
8. Eric Barone, a French sportsman, holds the world record for the fasts bicycle speed downhill on snow (2017; 227.72 km/h / 121.4 mph) and a volcano (2002: 172 km/h / 107 mph).
9. The Tour de France began in 1903. Its first winner was Maurice Garin.
10. The first Englishman to ride 25 miles less than an hour was Ralph Dougherty. He was also the first UK cyclist to be disciplined by the UK for his choice of socks. He didn’t wear black, which were compulsory at the time. (Source: cyclinguphill.com/cycling-facts/)

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