Action is Louder Than Words: Riding for Action Medical Research

This summer, from 23-27 July, Simon Hayes will be leading a group of our associates from CDR Electrical on a charity bike ride all the way from London to Paris. We recently sat down with him to find out what this ride is all about and how people can help.

Q: Simon, can you tell us who you will be riding for?

A: We’ll be riding for the children’s charity Action Medical Research.

Q: What route will you be taking from London to Paris; how long is it?

A: There are three different itineraries that you can do, but we’re taking the Classic. We’re starting at Blackheath and we’ll be going through Dover, Calais, Arras, and Compiegne. It’s almost 300 miles altogether.

Q: How many other people will be participating with you?

A: There will be 12 of us all together; 7 from CDR and 5 other friends and family members.

Q: What sort of conditioning have you been doing? How are your preparations going so far?

A: We’ve been doing spinning at the gym and going on weekend bike rides around places like Box Hill and Newlands Corner. We have been trying to do 40 miles per ride and have been out in all weathers. Two of our group managed to have a crash and someone always falls off their bike after forgetting to unclip his shoes.

Q: What is your fundraising target for this ride? How much have you raised so far?

A: You need to raise at least £1,500 per person, so we are aiming for a total of £18,000. As of 6 March, we had £700, plus an additional £167 from Gift Aid. So we still have quite a ways to go.

Q: Is there any sort of fundraising deadline?

A: We need to raise at least £749 per person by 25 April, or we can’t participate.

Q: You and your company have taken part in other charity fundraising events before, haven’t you?

A: Yes, over the last 3 years we have taken part in the London to Brighton ride for the British Heart Foundation, the Thames Bridges and the Palace to Palace rides for the Stroke association. This is a much bigger deal in terms of distance though. It is hard to ride 50 odd miles in one day, but on this ride we have got to manage 300 miles in 4 days.

Q: Why do you feel it’s important to participate in events like this?

A: I like the idea of fund raising for a good cause and I think that if you can do so with your work colleagues, it is great for team building. It also helps with my personal fitness levels.

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