Mother of five boys, Sarah Morris, 47, has signed herself up for the 175km challenge ride in the South West. The full-time mother has never cycled such a long distance before but she is looking forward to the challenge and the sense of achievement that she will have when she crosses the finish line. Sarah's father, Andrew Thompson, was diagnosed with prostate cancer seven years ago and her two uncles both found out they had the disease shortly afterwards. The family did not know what prostate cancer was until it affected their lives.

Teignmouth resident, Sarah, who is married to Adam, 42, is training three times a week and does a lot of cycling with her children, who range from age three to 16. She often rides with toddler, Stanley, in the back seat of her bike. Adam and her sons will all be there on the day to cheer her on from the sidelines.

Sarah said: "I don't think people are as aware of prostate cancer as they should be. I know I certainly wasn't until my father's diagnosis seven-years-ago. Having five sons means prostate cancer is even more significant to us, so taking part in an event like this combines my passion for cycling with supporting such a brilliant cause. Although I've been cycling for well over 20 years, I have never done anything quite like this before. I'm really looking forward to it though, and I'm sure completing those tough climbs over such a challenging route will give me a real sense of achievement. I'm certain that the thought of all my family and friends cheering me across the finishing line is another thing that will keep me focused."

To join Sarah in the South West challenge ride, visit our sign up page today by clicking here http://www.tourride.co.uk/rides.asp#rides-south-west   

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It is official .... Motorpoint - Marshalls Pasta have won the Halfords Tour Series! Despite individual and team wins from the Rapha Condor Sharp team at the final stage in Woking last night, the Motorpoint boys proved superior and nothing was holding them back from victory following their consistent successes throughout the series.  

Dean Windsor put in a winning effort and led the Peleton through the entire course, blasting over the finish line to victory in a tense final lap. Windsor was quickly followed by Malcolm Elliott and Endura riders Wilkinson and Thwaites taking third and fourth.  

There have been so many highlights from the Halfords Tour Series and all of the teams have put in an incredible effort over the past few weeks. However, a huge congratulations go to the Motorpoint - Marshalls - Pasta team who have performed fantastically and really deserve the win.  

There are mixed emotions at Tour Ride HQ today. It has been a hectic few weeks, travelling all over the country in support of the Tour Series, and we are absolutely shattered! However, the Tour Series has been brilliant fun and it has been amazing to meet so many people from across the UK who are supporting our Tour Ride sportives.  

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has turned out to cheer on the pro cyclists, come rain or shine. So many of you have dropped by the Charity gazebo to say hello and offer your support and you have helped to make the Tour Series a huge success. The Tour Series has been a great way to get the message out there, not only about the Tour Ride events but about prostate cancer as well. The Charity's Chief Executive, John Neate, was interviewed by ITV4 last night, talking about our partnership with The Tour of Britain and the importance of raising awareness of the disease. Tune in tonight at 7pm to watch him in action.   

We will be having a well deserved rest this weekend and will be ready and raring to go Monday morning here at Tour Ride HQ! Stay tuned for more behind the scenes Tour Ride news.

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Stoke-on-Trent played home to round 8 of the Halfords Tour Series last night, which saw Motorpoint-Marshalls-Pasta tear the lead back from Rapha-Condor-Sharp. Ian Bibby soured to victory and two of his team mates also finished in the top seven, meaning there are now only three points separating the top three teams, with Motorpoint-Marshalls-Pasta on 70 points and Rapha-Condor-Sharp and Endura Racing tying on 67. 

Despite a tough effort from Scott Thwaites and Dave Clarke, nothing was stopping Ian Bibby last night as he took his second win of the season.

The last two rounds are heading to Chester and Woking next week, in what promises to be a tense final week  Highlights of last night's race will be shown on ITV4 tonight at 7pm  

For anyone feeling inspired by the Tour Series action, there is still time to sign up to The Prostate Cancer Charity's Tour Rides. Anyone who signs up will receive 30 per cent off a subscription to Cycling Weekly magazine.

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Stage 6 of the Halfords Tour Series hit Kettering last night and the crowds of spectators were treated to an action packed evening. The Prostate Cancer Charity was there in force supporting the pro riders and rallying up interest in the Charity's September Tour Rides.  

Rapha-Condor-Sharp's Kristian House battled against Sigma Sport-Specialized team' s Simon Richardson for the majority of the race, which turned into a two-man sprint towards the finish line. Richardson couldn't quite keep up with House's pace in the end and the 2009 British Road Race Cycling Champion sprinted to victory. The win brought Rapha-Condor -Sharp in to second place in the leadership board, behind Motorpoint-Marshalls-Pasta.

To watch the action from Kettering, tune in to ITV4 tonight at 7pm for the highlights show.

The Tour Series is moving on to Peterborough for Round 7 on Tuesday night. As ever, if you are out and about near the town, do drop by and say hello. We will all be there waving our flags and showing our support for the teams and we would love it if you could join us.

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The Halfords Tour Series is in full swing and man of the moment, Dean Downing managed to pull the Rapha Condor Sharp team in to second place behind Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta at this weeks Exeter stage. The Rapha boys were locked in a head to head battle with Endura Racing for the majority of the race, with James McCallum and Rob Hayles putting in a very worthy effort. Despite the other teams efforts, nothing could hold Downing back and he soared to victory with teammate Zak Dempster fast on his heels in second place.

All of the racers are now heading to Kettering for Stage Five of the Halfords Tour Series and judging by the previous races this year, the title could be anyone's for the taking. As usual we are encouraging anyone local to Kettering to come along and show their support for the pro riders and The Prostate Cancer Charity. We are really gearing up to promote our Tour Rides which take place in September, in partnership with The Tour of Britain and the Tour Series is giving us the perfect opportunity to spread the word about the events.

If you want to keep abreast of all the latest Tour Series news, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TPCCNewswire

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It is Tour Series madness here at HQ at the moment. We are bang in the middle of the season and we seem to be in and out of the office every day, travelling to the races to drum up support for our Tour Ride events later in the year. We have had an amazing response from each town so far and sign ups are rolling in. We are also having a great time watching the likes of Kristian House and Ed Clancy take to their bikes every day to battle it out for Tour Series victory. What could be better than heading off to new places each day, getting some fresh air and watching the world's elite cyclists pedalling their hearts out?

So far the Tour Ride team has hit Canary Wharf, Durham and Portsmouth and this afternoon we are heading down to Exeter to watch the pro riders do what they do best and battle it out on the tracks.

Motorpoint - Marshalls Pasta claimed victory at the Portsmouth Tour Series yesterday, with three of their riders finishing in the top eight positions, and Ian Bibby taking the individual win. This follows from their win at Durham last week, with Malcolm Elliott coming up trumps.

Rapha- Condor - Sharp lost one of their star riders, Dean Downing towards the end of the race as a puncture snagged his chances of winning, with two laps remaining. The rest of the team picked up the pace but the Motorpoint team were unstoppable.

All of the Tour Ride action can be found on ITV4 on the day following each event.

If you fancy heading down to one of the Tour Series events, please do come along and say hello. In each town, we can be found under a huge charity gazebo, so you really can't miss us. After Exeter, we will be heading to the following towns:

Southport - 8 June

Kettering - 10 June

Peterborough - 15 June

Stoke-on-Trent - 17 June

Chester - 21 June

Woking - 24 June

If you are out and about in any of these places over the next few weeks and want to see Ian Bibby and pals battling it out, then head on down.

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A host of city workers swapped their briefcases for cycle helmets last night as they took to Canary Wharf for the first of the Halfords Tour Series to raise funds for The Prostate Cancer Charity. Barclays Capital, Canary Wharf Group plc (CWG), Citi, Clifford Chance, Coutts & Co, Credit Suisse, FSA, HSBC, KPMG, State Street and Thomson Reuters all gathered to compete against each other in the pro-am race, which took place just before the professional cyclists took to the tracks.

More than 3,000 people cycle to Canary Wharf each day and so the location seemed like the perfect choice to host the event. Crowds of office workers lined the streets to soak up the festival atmosphere and watch their colleagues pit it out against their rival firms. For those taking part, the race offered the perfect chance to try out the tracks that world champions such as Ed Clancy and Chris Newton would be trying out just moments later.

Each corporate team consisted of six people who cycled in a relay race, each completing a lap of the course, between Cabot Square and Canada Square Park. Each team was assigned to one of the professional racers taking part in the Halfords Tour Series who supported them in their efforts.

All of the teams put in a fantastic effort but the overall winners who rode to victory were the Barclays Capital team, who were assisted by Rapha-Condor-Sharp champion Kristian House. A huge well done to everyone who took part! We were all there last night to wave our flags for the riders and we were really proud of all of them.

Following the pro-am race, the professional Tour Series kicked off with Metaltek's London racer, Tony Gibb, claiming victory, with his team coming seventh to overall winners, Rapha-Condor-Sharp.

The footage will be broadcast on ITV 4 at 7pm tonight.

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One thing is for sure, it is going to be a quiet day in Tour Ride HQ. We are abandoning the office and swapping our desks for a gazebo as we head down to Canary Wharf to cheer on the professional cyclists in the first of the Tour Series. The entertainment kicks off at 3pm with a host of cycling themed events and a festival atmosphere. Then at 5pm there will be the Pro Am Challenge, involving some of the city's top bankers pitting themselves against each other as they race around the track that the pros will tackle later in the evening. If the weather holds out, we predict that there will be huge crowds lining the streets to soak up the atmosphere.

At 7pm, the action will really hot up as the likes of Chris Newton, Rob Hayles, Ed Clancy, Malcolm Elliott and Dean Downing all take to the tracks to compete against each other around the high-speed circuit. The race will offer an hour of intense, fast paced racing and is bound to be an exciting spectacle for everyone who comes to watch. We are really excited at being able to witness the pros for the first time this year and can not wait to get down there and wave our flags for them.

If you fancy watching some of the world's finest cyclists racing in the capital, then why not come and join us today. We will be easy to spot in our Charity gazebo, so do come over and say hello - we will be stationed just near the start/finish line. We are off now, just need to pack up our banners and jump on the tube. We hope to see you all there!

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The worlds of athletics and comedy came together with an almighty bang this week as Olympic legend, Daley Thompson, and top comedian, David Schneider, joined forces for an impromptu training session in preparation of the South West Tour Ride. David kept us all entertained with his performance on his bike and Daley was as ever the epitome of the professional sportsman, making us wonder if those pro-riders might need to watch out come race day.

The pair got together in Richmond Park and dogged the deer to don their Tour Ride shirts and try out their pedals. As well as some good old fashioned warming up and racing down hills, the stars also found time for some comedy improvisation with David dragging Daley along on a tandem bike. At one point as Daley sailed past the crowd at epic speed, David was found by the side of the road with his puncture repair kit, pumping some life in to his wheels.

This is what David had to say:

"I'm really looking forward to doing this cycle ride for The Prostate Cancer Charity - if "really looking forward" also means "slightly bloomin' dreading it". I ride a lot in London but have never really cycled in the countryside, where apparently there are green fields and also things called hills and nice views. I've always meant to do something like this and now The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides are giving me the chance to take on a stretch of the Tour of Britain, raise awareness of prostate cancer, which affects 35,000 men each year in the UK, and even watch Daley Thomson disappearing into the distance ahead of me on his bike (he's doing the same stretch). I am going to be training in earnest over the next few months and I am looking forward to the big day itself. If I - an urban middle aged man who thinks physical exercise is stroking a cat - can take on a challenge like this, anyone can, so I would urge people whatever their ability to put their name down for The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides today."

If you can not resist the idea of riding alongside an Olympic gold medallist or sharing a joke with David Schneider as he pumps air in to his tyres, then sign up to The Prostate Cancer Charity's Tour Ride today.  

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It has been another busy week at Tour Ride HQ. Sign up for the events has sky rocketed and we now have hundreds of riders who have committed to push themselves to the limits in the name of Unite ByCycling. We are all over the moon at the buzz surrounding the Tour Rides but there is still a long way to go to reach a whole nation of cyclists by September.

Marks & Spencer has come on board in support of the Tour Rides and are now the official sandwich provider for all three events. This is great news for us as M&S are renowned for their gorgeous sarnies and we are sure that this will be a big hit with our hungry and weary cyclists. With M&S on board, we can guarantee that these will not be just Tour Ride sandwiches, they will be M&S Tour Ride sandwiches. Sorry, we couldn't resist that one!

The first edit of our South West Tour Ride promotional video has come through and it is looking really good. This was the one where Graham Jones and John Herety put themselves to the test and tackled the route that the riders will be taking on in September. The pair sweated it out over the notorious steep hills of Devon and Somerset and gave some top tips on how cyclists can prepare themselves for race day. As soon as the video has been fully edited and jazzed up, we will let you all know, so keep your eyes peeled.

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