When our sister company, Mango, asked us to run a bike ride for Coca Cola, one of their clients, as a team day out, we of course said yes! They wanted a medium length ride for a group of mixed ability cyclists and non cyclists from somewhere near their Dorking base to somewhere fun to finish. Hey presto, the Reigate to Brighton Bike ride is born. We expected the day out to be refreshing and reviving for all concerned but we hadnt anticipated the accolades… 

“In a nut shell it was a fantastic day & everyone had a great time, I can’t fault anything at all. The route was great in the fact that it was planned on quieter roads, the support guys were great & really kept the group mobile, motivated & on track to get to Brighton before the stars came out!

 The lunch stop was a lovely pub but probably not needed as we just ended up having sandwiches there as we got there so late, not the pub’s fault at all as that is what the team asked for in their little knowledge of doing a 40 mile bike ride.

 I feel like a broken record here but again great, everything ran perfectly & suited our requirements”.

 Thanks Coke!!

56 riders principally from the UK but also joined by 1 Italian, 1 Brazilian, 1 Australian, 2 Canadian, 1 Irish, 1 Kiwi, 1 Lithuanian and 3 South Africans, set out to cycle to the finish of the greatest cycle race in the world, the Tour de France, in order to raise money for The Big Issue Foundation. En route they raised over £60k for homeless people! 

The GR7 is the longest walking route in Europe starting in Athens and finishing in Algeciras in southern Spain. The trek undertaken by supporters of Parkinson’s UK was over 3 days and 45kms of this extraordinary route. 

Just before the group arrived, the heavens opened and the temperatures dropped from mighty high mid 30’s to more reasonable high 20’s. Each day the group were offered a choice of a shorter or longer walk so that people of different abilities could chose their own challenge. Humbling to all of us were the 4 people who actually had Parkinson’s who were also doing the trek with some more able to do the longer walk and others doing the shorter one. And so it was that over 45kms with an elevation gain of just under 2000m in 3 days, we wound our way through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, a little explored area called the Alpujarras. The high points were the amazing wild flowers; meeting shepherds with their flocks also using the GR7; birds of prey reeling in the thermals overhead; that feeling of following in the footsteps of so many centuries of walkers whatever their motivation; getting everyone to the top of every climb they started and the amazing group atmosphere of support. The low point was having to say goodbye at the end of the trip. 

There is a very good reason why the Giro d’Italia is heralded as such an achievement and that is because Italy is awesomely hilly. Even the beautiful wine growing region of Chianti, smack in the middle of Tuscany, means the vines are crawling up the hills that challenge the Italian Alps not in length but in gradient.  So it was to this gruelling area that 75 cyclists headed off to in mid May in support of Action Medical Research hosted, by special invitation only, by Tesco. 

This is the 7th year this group have got together in support of Action Medical Research and every year there are more people on the ride, the hills get bigger and better and the amount raised for this fantastic charity soar. This year further support to the event was donated by Stobarts who lent a truck and driver to get the bikes to the start in Italy, and Mercedes Benz who lent 3 of their finest vehicles to be used as support. As all 4 vehicles were in matching livery, we were indeed Tesco’s Finest. Sky also lent their support bringing a team of excellent riders including Simon Jackson, head of Sky Homes, who is hoping to be the first British man over the line at the 2010 Etape.

As always each person was able to choose from a choice of 3 different rides a day, ranging from very hard to just plain hard. Whats the definition of hard vs very hard? On the most challenging day, the hard route was a mere 102kms and 1240m of ascent while the very hard route was 160kms and 2500m of elevation. Well it has to be sponsorshipworthy!!

From the wine region of Montepulciano in the pouring rain, via Lago de Trasimeno, the cyclists made their way north towards the sunshine and Arezzo, up and over well known Giro climbs.  From the plains of Arezzo they once more hit the hills on their way to the beautiful city of Siena, home of the Palio, the Duomo and the Piazza del Campo.

It wasn’t just Rome that was built on 7 hills. Every village and town of note has been built in strategically defendable positions and Siena is no exception. After some challenging climbs to get to the hotel in the city walls near the town centre, a drink in the setting of one of Italy’s most beautiful piazzas was a must.

From Sienna it was a comparatively short hop to get to Firenze (or Florence as we know it). From the Michelangelo view point, they descended to cross the river Arno, passing by the struts of the Ponti Vecchio to celebrate with cold beer, ice creams and an excellent busker and a spectacular finish in front of the Santa Maria la Novella church, a stone’s throw from the duomo. 

In short, an excellent opportunity for some of Britain’s most senior decision makers to share quality time together in an exceptional setting while donating a huge amount to Action Medical Researches Touching Tiny Lives project.

It’s mid-March and 35 skiers and snowboarders of mixed ability are heading for Italy and the Milky Way (Italy’s largest international ski area) for the Scope White Peaks Ski Challenge. This incredible 2 day event has been run 19 times, raised over £1m for Scope and continues to pull in supporters and skiers raring for a challenge with a difference.

Over the weekend the skiers and boarders will challenge themselves to ski 24 peaks in 48 hours. They will descend the height of Everest each day and ski a total of about 130kms in 2 days. When the sponsors ask “isn’t that a holiday?” challenge them to do it!

It isn’t just about the challenge. It is also about all the work that goes into raising the funds to go on the challenge as well. All the time spent organising the dinners, the collection tins, the raffles and auctions, sorting out the JustGiving pages and liberating your friends and family of their hard earned cash. The challenge is the easy part when you think of it like that!

But, what a way to fundraise! Blazing sunshine, freezing temperatures, following local guides around the 145 runs and 440kms of pistes at break neck speed; superb snow cover; reaching a peak, cheering and moving swiftly on to the next one; against the clock the whole time. Who cares about the hard work to get the funds together – see you March 3rd – 6th 2011!!