It was off to a flying start for Tom Butterfield as he began his epic bike ride from France to the UK as part of his fund-raising Wheels of Fortune.

Mr. Butterfield is now in the Loire Valley with Michael Hamer and Jay Nicols.

The three are riding 1,000 miles for the eighth and final time, to raise money for the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

The ride began in the home of one of the artists in Masterworks' permanent collection, St. Remy in the South of France. It ends in Lyme Regis, the home of Sir George Somers.

"St. Remy is a pretty little village, and it is the home of a permanent collection of Albert Gleizes, whose artwork can found on the second floor of the museum," said Mr. Butterfield, who is Masterworks' director.

"They are in a museum in a beautiful 18th century building, and they change the exhibitions periodically, save for the beloved Albert Gleizes work. A poster on the outside of the museum boasts 'Paysage des Bermudes', one of the works done by Gleizes on his visit to Bermuda in 1916-1917.

"In the wall text, it describes Gleizes' visit to Bermuda as being important, as it is there that Gleizes went on to discover a completely new palette in colour."

Jay Nicols joined the pair on Saturday after taking the train down from Paris. They began with an intense ride which included a hill which required over an hour of uphill climbing to a height of 2,200 feet.

On Sunday, May 24, they celebrated Bermuda Day by flying Bermuda flags, and stopping to take photos of the locals with the flags.

They are now on their way to the Limoges area and will then head on up towards Tours.

To donate to Wheels of Fortune and help the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, text 'GIVE" to 5433 and $1 will be donated to the bike ride.