Letter to friends - Introduction to our Camino plan

Dear all,3 weeks to go.
On 10th June, we, Richard, Sam and Jan, fly from Bucharest to Madrid. It will take us 4-5 hours to get from Madrid to Pamplona. From there we have another 65 km to Roncesvalles, from where we start our trip to Santiago de Compostela following the historic pilgrimage route (the Camino Francés for those in the know). Pension Posada in Roncesvalles has been informed in Manuel à la Fawlty Towers Spanish of our scheduled arrival, and we hope to find 3 beds reserved. We also hope to find 3 bicycles waiting for us. Delivered by a Portuguese bike-rental company called Bikeiberia. All paid for by credit card. Over the Internet…. Do I sense the raising of eyebrows? Pilgrims are well known for their trust in their fellow human beings. Especially, it seems, in a man called Didier from Bikeiberia. He’d better not disappoint us.
3 weeks to go.
More than enough time to pack. We’re each taking 10 kg. More is not necessary. More is not done. Each gram counts when you cycle in a hilly environment. And as a consequence every T-shirt, every sock is taken into consideration. No room even for a good book. Let alone the bible. The extra kilos around Jan’s waist have been dealt with over the past few months. Sam and Richard still have some work to do in that area. Quite some work in fact. At least they won’t have any problems with the downhill sections of our trip.
3 weeks to go.
Time for this mail. A wake-up call for those already awake. An action for a good cause. One that does not end in Santiago, but back home in Romania. We have known the congregation of St Jean for many years. Just like Jan, Frere Mathieu came to Bucharest from Belgium in 1997. He established the St Jean community here. An oasis in a busy Bucharest. He builds bridges between different religions, different ways of life. He became a friend. An example in much of what he does. For the last 2 years he has been working on the ‘St Jean Village’ project. Giving a chance to those without. A project we fully support. See for yourselves at http://www.unitate.ro/.
The road from Roncesvalles to Santiago is some 850 kilometers long. We have started a sponsorship campaign. For the St Jean Village. You transfer an amount for each 10 kilometers cycled. At the end we’ll provide proof of the distance travelled. Together we can make dreams come true. And in the meantime Richard and Sam can loose some more kilos. Everybody’s happy.
Here’s an example: you donate 0.2 euros per 10 kilometers. In Santiago our bike computer shows we covered 850 km since leaving Roncesvalles. That means you sponsor us for a total of 17 euros. After we return home we send you the bank details and you make the transfer. Of course you can sponsor us for more or less than the above example. Just send us an email before we leave on 10th June indicating how much you want to sponsor us for. We’ll keep you up to date on the length of our sponsorship list. From previous sponsored events (e.g. the New York Marathon in 1993 and 2003) we know how sponsorship for a good cause provides that extra motivation needed when taking on a physical challenge. Especially when going downhill.
Thanks.
Your pilgrims
Sam, Jan and Richard