PARIS, September 26, 2009 - Tour de France legend Miguel Indurain gave a cheery wave to onlookers as he led his peloton of cyclists on the final stage of the inaugural Laureus London-to-Paris Bike Ride along the Champs Elysees to their goal - the Arc de Triomphe - at the end of their three-day journey from England.
The route down the Champs Eysees is one Indurain knows very well after his five Tour de France victories, but on this occasion his mission was not sporting glory but to help raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Funds raised from the event will be distributed to almost 70 sports related community projects worldwide, supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which tackle a range of issues such as social exclusion, gun and gang violence and conflict resolution.
Laureus World Sports Academy member Indurain said: "It is a great pleasure for me to do what I can to raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which does such important work in helping disadvantaged young people. It was particularly enjoyable finishing at the Arc de Triomphe. I have so many happy memories from the Tour, and it was good to go back with new friends who I met on this ride."
The three-day, 226-mile ride, which included British Olympic legend Daley Thompson on the first stage, had set off from London for Portsmouth. After an overnight stop and a ferry crossing to Ouistreham, near Caen in Normandy, the ride routed for two days through the historic locations of Bernay, Evreux and Versailles, before finishing at the Arc de Triomphe.
The Laureus London-to-Paris Bike Ride follows the highly successful Laureus-Breaking the Cycle of Violence Ride from Manchester-to-London, led by Daley Thompson and fellow Laureus Academy member Hugo Porta, which highlighted the solutions sport can provide to the growing problems of gun and knife crime. The 367-mile cycle marathon which ended at 10 Downing Stret,delivered a ground-breaking report to the government calling for more investment in sport as an effective mechanism for tackling the growing problem of youth crime and gang violence.
Spain's Miguel Indurain, indisputably one of the greatest cyclists of all time, accomplished one of the most spectacular feats in sport when he became the first man to win the Tour de France, the world's premier distance cycling event, five times in succession, from 1991-95. In 1996 he also won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in the individual time trial.
Britain's Daley Thompson won more decathlon honours than anybody before him. He is the only man to win two Olympic gold medals and a World Championship. He also created four world records, won three Commonwealth gold medals and two European Championships.
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