20 cyclists, 2 dogs and a 300 mile cycle
26 September 2012
At 6:15am on the 1st September a brave group of 20 cyclists (and two dogs) met at Dartford Rail Station ready to embark on a 300 mile cycle across four countries in only three days to raise money for the Centre.
Our fearless cyclists tackled the beautiful, and hilly, Kent countryside before heading across the Channel at Dover for Dunkirk. From Dunkirk the riders passed through Bruges to Haamstede following the North Sea Cycle Route before finally arriving in Amsterdam. Despite all of the cycling our riders had enough energy left to show Amsterdam some of their dance moves as they celebrated completing their challenge together with a well deserved night out!
There was a great feeling of team spirit in the lead up to and throughout the trip as all of our riders came together for a common goal and were a part of such a fantastic achievement! Our team were from a variety of backgrounds including riders from Barclays, Lloyds and Atrium Underwriters as well as some of the Centre's friends, Doctors and one of our Trustees!
"I feel really privileged to have been able to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. I also enjoyed the trip thoroughly; whilst exhausting it was an incredible few days of getting to know new people, seeing new places and exploring the continent on two wheels"
We would like to thank all of our riders for raising a wonderful £22,861 for the Centre so far! This support will enable us to continue our work to create opportunities and untap potential in East London.
We would also like to say a special thank you to our two four-legged participants, the Springer Spaniels Tigger and Peppa. Tigger and Peppa belong to Chris who cycled the 300 miles with them both in a carrier attached to the front of his bike. But they didn't get to relax for the entire journey as they helped to pull the bike up some of the Kent hills!
"The dogs were less than impressed when we returned to normality after 12hours a day watching the world go by and seeing Amsterdam in the sunset"
The London – Amsterdam trip was in collaboration with Bikeworks, a social enterprise who use bicycles and cycling as a tool to tackle social and environmental challenges at a community level. It was a great opportunity for us to partner with such an inspirational social enterprise.
If our cyclists have inspired you to take on a personal challenge then why not apply to run the 2013 London Marathon on behalf of the Centre. We have one space available in this sell out event and are on the look out for a star fundraiser to fill it! If you would like to find out more about our 2013 London Marathon place email Jasmine on: Jasmine.Morris@bbbc.org.uk or phone: 0208 709 9716.
