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Tuesday 6th July

So we made it!

When the Meningitis Trust described the route as 'undulating' I think they were using a little bit of artistic licence as some of the roads on the English section were particularly long and steep, however we were rewarded in France with some beautifully smooth and quiet roads that helped make the journey to Paris very enjoyable despite the miles that we had to cover. There was a great sense of elation when we first caught sight of the Eiffel Tower from the outskirts of the city and the ride through the hustle and bustle of the Paris traffic was a great experience. As you can see from the photo all members of 'Team Abbey' made it to the finish and we celebrated in style with the rest of the participants during the final evening in Paris.

 

 

Below is our recent press-release:

 

Cheltenham company directors saddle up for London-to-Paris charity bike ride

Five employees from Cheltenham-based Abbey Business Equipment  (including three of the directors), are preparing to saddle-up for a gruelling 200-mile cycle ride from London to Paris to raise funds for the Meningitis Trust, based in Stroud.

Directors Neil Brimble, Steve Layer, David Giles, and Account Managers Tim Harris and Dion Murrell are no strangers to fundraising, all having been involved in many charity events over the years, however the mammoth three-day bike ride will be the most ambitious of the group's efforts so far.

“We are delighted to be in a position to help such a worthwhile charity – the Meningitis Trust is a client of ours and we like to do our bit to give something back where we can. That being said, we are all out of our comfort zone on this one but we've been in training for several weeks and are confident that we will make it to the finish, but it's going to be a big challenge for each of us,” said Neil Brimble, MD of the office solutions provider.

On July 2 the team will set off from south-east London where they will cycle for Dover, before crossing the channel aboard a ferry. Day two will see the Abbey Business team, alongside 35 other participants, tackling challenging terrain en route from Dieppe, through Normandy before taking a well-earned rest at Gournay en Bray.

On the final day, the cyclists will ride the remaining 70 miles to Paris, where the challenge will come to an end at the Eiffel Tower.

Roza Woodley, Event Organiser at the Meningitis Trust, says: “We are delighted to have the team onboard which is helping with our work by taking on this event for us. And what an event! They certainly didn’t pick something easy to start with. As we are reliant on voluntary donations to continue our work, help from the team really is essential to our work, so we are very grateful for the aching legs, sweat and maybe even tears that the Abbey Business team will be putting in”.

Each cyclist must raise a minimum of £1,200 for the charity and they are hoping other local businesses and customers of Abbey Business Equipment will sponsor this worthy cause. Anyone who would like to do so should e-mail Neil Brimble at neil@abbeybusinessequipment.com or go directly to the riders ‘JustGiving’ site at http://www.justgiving.com/AbbeyBusinessEquipment