The SESTRAN TWO CAPITALS cycle ride on 21 st June 2009 was for all tht took part a great day out in fine weather.

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh and the Chief Executive of West Lothian took part this year and the event was sent on its way by the Lord Lieutenant of Fie with the Provost of Fife also giving support.

Thanksmust go to all that made the event possible , Honda Gold Wings our motor bike escorts, The Roysth Sea Cadets , the Rotary clubs of South Queensferry and Dunfermline Carnegie and menbers of St Margarets Church Dunfermline and friends in Lothian and Borders Police.
Also thanks to St Andrews First Aid , and Flemings Removals of Rosyth , as well as Appolo Discos and Leith FM
Our Main sponsors were SESTRAN and Fife and City of Edinburgh Council , without whose sponsorship thsi event would not have happened
And finally to you all , thanks , and please join this web stse as a member ..to be informed of TWO CAPITALS 2010 ...on Sunday 13th June 2010.....photos for this event will be in the gallery

Entries are now being taken for the Two Capitals Cycle Ride , which starts from Dunfermline Glen at 10 .30 on Sunday 21st June 2009.

As per the last two years , buses and transport for bikes will be available from 9.30 at Leith , Ocean Terminalto take you to the start. At the end, we will have transport back to Dunfermline.

We also will run a short course , of 6 miles , from Dunfermline to Rosyth and back using Grange road , which will be closed for the event.

This is especially gooid for families with small children, who do not wish to take part in the 25 mile ride to Edinburgh

Please book early for the event and transport

allan prentice

The winners of the raffle this year are as follows :-


1st prize ticket no 17048 R Falls holiday voucher from Caledonia Travel inverkeithing
2nd Prize 04043 A Bruce Halfords Bike
3rd Prize 17220 S Hutchinson Menzies Belford i night b and b
4th Prize 17515 H McClure Holiday inn voucher
5th Prize 17244 I Mitchel Cinema Tickets vue cinema
6th Prize 06048 R Mcculloch Hardies of CairneyHill bike voucher
7th Prize 17775 S Roy Hardies bike voucher
8th Prize 17829 M Hammond Hardies bike voucher
9th Prize 00549 N Howie Hardies bike voucher
10th Prize 01081 W Hill Bowlplex voucher
11th Prize 17172 J Cowan Bannatynes Halbeath Fife Gift bag
12th Prize 04057 G Baxter Tent


I wish to thank all you bought tickets for their support and also all the above companies for their generour prizes .

We are contacting all above this week to arrange delivery of the prizes ....

best regards

allan prentice

Please go to the picture gallery

AULD ALLIANCE EDINBURGH TO PARIS and view some of the pictures using slide show ....

We are taking entires now for 2009 ..so why not sign up now ..please email me

and if

if you wish to model ,Drive , or cycle ....we would welcome you along regards

allan

So we arrived at the Hotel near Euro disney ....dont know what mickey thought of us ..but the french public seem to like us....but for some strange reasons ..they kept asking about what we wear under under kilts ??? must be the garlic !!!!
Anyway , showers and off to Paris , to the great little Italian restuarant in the rivoli area , near the Auld alliance pub .( last year me and a few cops washed the dishes ..to show owner how poor we were ...and guess what he remembers us ..in a fond way )We were given a room upstairs this year ..far away from the bar ..but wine flowed with the spagettii ...great meal ..you should try this place .
Then to Auld Alliance pub ..to see Steve the owner on his last weekend ..he has sold up ..but another scot DAVID , still runs the bar.So time for hugh the piper ..and the whole place starts rocking ..we even played happy birthday for a sassenach ..he has seen sense and drinks with the scots .
Too soon back to Hotel , and on way back , you guessed it -accosted by two beautiful Irsh ladies asking the Question ....sorry we are not telling ...
Even when the reporter from Sunday Post /Dundee Courier was phoning during the meal , we would not reveal the secret of the scots male ..but as a clue there is a section in the Sunday Post ......Aileen of the courier has been great ..and she is formally invited next year to cycle with us ..if you have the courage mon amie .
Now onto Sunday , a date with the Rev Alan Miller and the congregation of the Scots Kirk in Paris ..hello Paul, Pierre, Dorothy , Gill and Constnace ....now Constance wasnt there on Sunday ...we were disappointed ..she is an angel ...last year when iIwas lost on the metro , with only a few minutes to kick off ( that is if the church servise has a kick off so to speak ) ..Constance happened to overhear us on the same metro train ..and offered to guide us to the church ..amazing, that one of only 40 or so folks who go to the church each sunday ..was on the same train and was able to guide us ...amazing ...or what /
Anyway to this year ,Hugh played the pipes , , and enjoyed giving the church gifts of ..guess what ...no not Glenlivet ..shortbread , porridge and the famous tunnocks ,,,,as they raise cash in October to Support Ekwendeni School ...concidence ..we are supporting the Hospital
Then after a coffee ..off to CDL to watch London to Paris British Legion cyclists come in ( 300) to Arc De tirumph at 1 .30 pm .
We arrived , Hugh me and Ann my wife before the time , but nae bikes to be seen..has the Legion got Lost ..is it now part of foreign legion somewhere ...did Graeme or hares leader do the leading and are they now entering Berlin..
Hugh wandered off as pipers do , ann was lured to the shops ...me Iasked a local ..and some local ...the French/canadian ambassdor ...my new friend in Paris....spoke no english ...but noticed observantly i wore a Kilt ..and had a wandering piper ...Are we here to watch the ceremony ?..yes i replied ...Does the piper play the pipes ?...well i suppose yes after a fashion ...Wht do you waer under the kilts ????...just kidding ...Will your piper play for us ?...Nae bother says I
The ceremony was due to start at 3pm ....so went for more ............tea ..............and when we came back ...it was a cast of thousands ..help mae bob ..crivvens ...etc etc said Hugh ( and a few more ) ...we thought a few cyclists were turning up not half Montys army .
So through the barriers and under the arc we went with our new friend ..and Hugh was asked to start the ceremony ..can you play the last post ( for you we thought ..us ?) but no not on the pipes ..so we had Flowers of the Forest ....
Out of the corner of my eye , I spotted competition for Hugh ..100 of the French Presidents army Band ...had lined up ...nae bother to us ...a wee bit of competition ..nae bother .

So Hugh piped the flowers ..to start , then a minutes silence , then army band played the French National Anthem...then our Hugh did back to barracks ..and Scotland the Brave .

The French public liked the pipes .

The parade ended with our by now Pied Piper ,..leading the British legion cyclists down out of the Arc ...but to the brave ones who lost their lives for us and do not march ...god bless ..it was an honour for us to take part in this small way ..and to the war hereos we meet either carrying the standards or our friend the member of the french resistance captured in Bordeaux, by Gestapo, but survived ...to them all Vive la France ,, Vive La Aulld Alliance .

So time then for a few drinks on CDL and watch the sights...then home , happy to bed .

Monday dawns , off early to Brugge for a few hours shopping ..mostly chocolate and beer ..seems that Brugge sells these and lace only .

Thn back on PO feery to hull , and happy but waery lot arrives back in Edinburgh at 4 pm on Tuesday 9th ..official end AA 2008
All that is left to say ..

Thnaks to my team leaders , Colin < Greame
To all the cyclists ..well done especially ann my wife ...239 miles ..4 days...great fun despite wind against all the way .

To my sponsors

Scottish Southern Energy , Glenlivet , Nairns , Scottish and Newcastle , Burtons Biscuits ..Clydesdale .Bank..many thanks

To the other supporters ..thanks

To Sandy wallace cycles Inverkeithing ..and the team there ..thanks

To Denise at Caledonia Travel Inverkeithing for the arrangements

To Arnold Clarks for the minbuses

To Forth one for the Publicity

To the journalists that covered the story

To French police , embassy and British enbassy ..many many thanks ...we will be back

To Digger of LBP ...thanks

To all that have read this story thanks ...and gave us the money for Malawi ...and to Eildih my daughter for being my ghost writer ..and translating my texts

But if you missed 2008...we are taking bookings now for 2009 ..
Either as rider , or as driver or as Models ......please email me

at -email-

God Bless you all

we think we have raised about £9k with tax relief ...

I hope pictures will be published this weekend in the papers ..Sunday Post , Courier , Evening news , and locals we hope .

But if not I will put them up over next few weeks ..so keep looking in

we also are looking at a wee trip for Brussels next March /April ..for service charities ..if interested ..pleae email me now

allan p