The entry from is now online and we are taking entries now.

Publicity will start in November and we will close for all entries by mid January , so if you wish

a weekend in Brussels ,

a day in Brugge and overnite in Gent .

..plus two nights on ferry from Rosyth ..

.and a little bit of easy flat cycling ..please sign up now

plus chance to be in you wish in a team to compete versus belgian opposition ..3 teams of 5 we aim to select ...

You could support service families ...and be a champion on Belgion soil .....

regards

allan

Post your entries in the competition to reach us by 18 September!

Well the crew made it on time to Zeebrugge and managed to catch the Pride of Hull. Sleeping arrangements were successfully sorted out (not like the outward journey) and they managed to put single ladies with single ladies and not have Michelle sleeping with the guys by error and Allan and Ann sharing with two guys and strangers joining the girls!!

The crew had managed to leave Paris by about 8.30am so in bright sunshine they arrived at Brugge at 12.30pm and had 4 hours of sightseeing. Allan still had the TRACKER on so you can follow their antics!

Allan will provide technical details of the cycle ride when he gets back but for the moment I will have to space fill!

Last night was the last group meal and the crew hope to get home to Edinburgh by 3 pm on Tuesday. There will hopefully then be a wee press call.

Please enter the competition (its free!) and join prenticeevents (also for free!). We would grately appreciate your feedback. The pictures will be posted by mid week on the gallery section of the website.

We would also be grateful for any donations towards our chosen charities.

If you are a keen cyclist or even if you are not, please think about the next event in May and the Auld Alliance next year including the ceilidh in Peronne. We are looking also for people to become our promotion team next year and be on pubilicity or volunteer drivers so if you would like to take part and not cycle please just contact us.

Keep looking in or better still join up as a member for details to be sent to you.

Regards from the we are sailing Auld Alliance 09 team!!

All

The crew are now on their way home for a well-deserved rest. Some went into Paris yesterday and some to EuroDisney - apparently the weather was beautiful.

They were all headed to Brugge today for some site-seeing and will reach Zeebrugge and the boat this evening.

The pictures of this year's event will be in gallery by Wednesday.

DON'T FORGET - there is still plenty of time to enter the competition - seebelow for more details.

The competition is still running to 18 September! Good luck!

When we last left the story Allan had only a short time to fix the bike and get under way again and so now for the final chapter...

Did Allan make it back to meeting point in Paris for police national escort in time?? With Phil Smith's new chain and a toy boat for "see no ships" Graeme to find out where they were using the proximity alarm on Graeme Bruce set to register maritime movement ...

Yes and No ....

The suuport crew arrived at 2.30pm in the support minibus provided by West Lothian Council. And ten minutes late the cycle convoy through Paris started - through all the traffic, past Stage de France, down to the tree lined boulevards, around the Place de Concord, along the Seine and onto the Champs at the Petit Palace (where the Tour de France finish) and where the Auld Alliance also finish. There they were, by now, old friends to meet them, Pierre Mure and Dorothy and Gill Hunter from the British Embassy with some embassy staff as well as the Paris Police Band. Pierre was a Director of the Police in Paris so he kindly gave all the crew their medals and we posed for photos.

Next year the Auld Alliance starts on 31 August 2010 and finishes in Paris on Saturday 4th September (home by the 7th). Gill Hunter of the Paris branch of the British Embassy has promised to do some of it and has even volunteered to do it on a tandem. Does anyone have one who would like to ride with Gill as passenger?? Please contact us, we would love to hear from you.

Matthew, also of the Embassy, said he would come part way which is great! The crew would like to thank the Embassy staff for tea and Gill's home made cakes taken in the garden of the British Embassy (the crew cycled there, of course) They then cycled up the Champs de Lysee to the Arc de Triomphe (pics to follow!) then down to Trocadaro for pics with the Eiffel Tower. AND then back along the Seine, past Diana's Memorial and back to the Petit Palace to meet the minibuses. Once all the gear was loaded off, it was off to the Hotel in Torcy near EuroDisney and the back on the mainline train to Paris to allow the crew to have a bit of fun and give those saddlesore parts a rest!

Before they know it, it will be the minibus on Monday via Brugge (for a couple of hours shopping) to Zeebrugge and home. The cost for the week on ferry and hotels including the gentle cycle ride for 4 days is only £500 pounds (much better value than others they met along the way from london who were cycling 80 miles a day for 4 days with no free day in Paris and at a cost 650 pounds. And not even a police escort in sight! They were all dead jealous of the Auld Alliance team and thought it fantastic both in concept and cost!

The crew had an ok time of it this year too despite the slightly unseasonal weather. There was only one puncture, one burst spoke and two burst chains.

BUT the benefits far outweigh that!! Now time for my oscar preparations...

Thanks to Lille and Peronne Hotel de Ville staff and Mayors. Thanks to Lille, Compiegne and Paris police for their escorts. Thanks also to Police National and Gendarmerie at all points in the run. Thanks go to the British Embassy and especially Gill Hunter, for the tea and cakes!

To our support team, the drivers, Elma and Charlie Ball, well done especially for strawberry tarts at the last meeting pointt pre Paris and for keeping tabs on us!

To our promotion team of Hugh the Piper and our tartan clad lass Kamila Kocot, many thanks for giving out a taste of Scotland.

To our sponsors, Nairns Oat cakes, Scotts porridge oats, Burtons Shortbread, Tunnocks, Highland Park and Forth Wines as well as Scottish and Newcastle - many thanks. Also to West Lothian Council for vans and sponsorship and Scottish Hydro Electric for their tremendous support - many thanks. And to Visit Scotland for the leaflets to put in tourist offices - again many thanks.

To the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, many thanks for starting the event from our great capital city and giving us plaques and letters of thanks for the mayors of Lille, Peronne and Compiegne. They were delighted.

To the British Embassy in Paris and the Consulate in Lille and the French Embassy in London - again our thanks. Without your help, nothing would have been possible. To the Police National and Gendmarie, our greatest respect and thanks not just for the escorts but for the manner and deepness of the welcome.

To Sandy Wallace Cycles, Leslie Bikes and Hardies Bikes, thanks for the spares and gifts for the competition

To those that donated or read the twitter or blog, many thanks - we look forward to having you participate next year!

To the crew, those that took part, enjoy the memories of an unique event, enjoy the few sores and wear the teeshirt and medal with pride! Our thanks go to the crew not just for taking part and doing something which some thought impossible but also for giving time to honour those who gave their time for us and who never had the chance to cycle to Paris. We remembered.

To Graeme Bruce, for the sometimes strange gps waypoints and proximity of ships alarms, many thanks. Wear the yellow jersey with pride! Well done!

(Allan is nearly finished...) But to finish, without Ann my wife, the events we currently run could not take place. And there are more contemplated which could not be undertaken without Ann's love and support. Hopefully next year we will have the Two Capitals (Dunfermline to Edinburgh) on 13th June, The Bruce (Stirling Castle to Brussels from 29th April 2010 to 4th May in aid of the SSAFA (soldiers sailors airmen familes association) and of course the Auld Alliance to Paris.

And with the support of West Lothian Council and Lille council, we aim to have a long weekend trip from a town in West Lothian to Lille (run both ways) to encourage friendship and tourism. Thanks to the Chief Executive of West Lothian, Alex Linkston, a man of vision in local government.

To Denise at Caledonia Travel in Inverkeithing, our thanks as usual and looking forward to 2010!

To Tracker, Steve and Stuart - its a magic device! Can we have it for our international events please??

To the Mamie Martin fund, we hope we will raise a few pounds to provide an education for girls in Malawi.

To Colin Cameron, Scottish Consul to Malawi, Jim Walker, Councillor for leisure in West Lothian and Lord Provost Grubb of Edinburgh, many thanks.

To Ken Richardson of Sign Plus in Dunfermline for the teeshirts and medals, many thanks. And to Digger McCulloch of Lothian and Borders police for the trailer and help, many thanks. Also thanks go to Kay Trailers of Milnathorpe for the great bike trailer and Gordon Connollly of West Lothian Council for the minibus and Mike and Shield Travers in Saline for storing the trailer.

To Ann, Allan's wonderful wife, who has spent many hours on admin for the charity events I run and for being wonderful and strong willed enough to complete the Auld Alliance twice! Not bad for lady who only used to cycle one a year for a few miles and is now a proud owner of a road bike!!!

Allan's words now.... To my family at home, all my love especially to my duagthers and grandchildren, Leah, Hayden and Carmen - Granny and Grandad will see you on Tuesday!

To Eilidh my blog proof reader and publisher, thanks and my love (aw shucks - don't mention it - the blogger.).

To the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and 122 staff and those at St Margaret's in Dunfermline, thanks for sponsoring me and Ann for the girls in Malawi.

To all that have donated to the other riders or to the PO box or paypal, our thanks. Just over a pound a week gives a young girl a chance in life.

So the 2009 Auld Alliance ends, its a free day on sunday for the riders and, for me, its off to the Scots Kirk to give thanks to the most important person for me and I hope for some of you.

Please join prenticevents as a member, it cost nothing and we welcome your your comments on the forum.

AND FINALLY to you that have followed us, why not sign up for next year's events now? Come and enjoy the Peronne pipe band at the ceilidh on 2 sept 2010 in Peronne.

So that's the end of the story....Till next time

The Blogger.

Don't forget that today is your opportunity to win a bike in the Auld Alliance competition....

Just guess where the crew were at 1pm today and how many miles they had covered by then to win a bike. Answers on a postcard please to the PO Box listed below.

Good luck!!!!

The time is 1.50pm French time and Allan has found a hypermarche and bought all type of chain sizes and links..

Now its a race against time to get the minibus to the police meeting point and fix the broken bike for Allan to complete the run to Paris


Keep watching this space!

Well they left Compiegne at 8.45 this morning with an unexpected escort from gendarmerie...

They gave Graeme a yellow jersey for his efforts and work on organising training runs (well done Graeme!) and his navigation skills have the crew all in awe..he set the gps with marine proximity alarms but as yet we see no ships!!

After the lunch meeting point ... DRAMA! The crew had a problem with a bike on a very steep hill when after a gear change resulted in a broken chain! So with a few miles to go to Paris Allan's spare bike is with Ron whose bike gave up earlier today and Graeme's spare bike can't be used due to flat tyres!! Will ALlan mend the bike in time to undertake the blue light run into PAris?!?!?

Watch this space!

Morning all!

I think there was much excitement in the camp this morning! At 7am and the crew watched a party from London leave by bike to Paris run by a commercial outfit with cyclists raising cash for charity. It is far more expensive than the Auld Alliance ride and not nearly so much fun - they were dead jealous of the crew! Prenticevents riders..we do it for others and not to make someone a profit...so join us next year!

The Blogger