Home to Cycling Challenge/ La Grande Sfida

There's over twenty three of us with one mission: Cycle over 1,000 miles from Home to Rome to raise as much money as possible to help our injured servicemen and women compete in international ski competitions with the aim of making it to the 2014 Winter Paralympics.

We set off on Saturday 15 May 2010 from Luton and will take two weeks to reach our final destination: Rome.

It's all in aid of the Combined Services Disabled Ski Team (CSDST) which rehabilitates injured servicemen and women supporting their dreams of getting to the paralympics, but above all, its about looking after our heroes who have been injured protecting freedom and democracy for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Royal Marine Pete Dunning and Captain Martin Hewitt will be taking part and cycling sections of the journey to prove that a disability needn't restrict your life. Pete lost both of his legs in a mine blast in Afghanistan and will be taking part in a specially adapted hand bicycle and Martin was injured after he was shot through the shoulder joint damaging nerves and dramatically impairing mobility in the limb.  (Update - Sergeant Mick Brennan from the Royal Signals will also be taking  joining the team on the trip. Mick was wounded in Iraq and lost both legs above the knee in a suicide bomb blast. Mick competes as part of the CSDST as a mono skier).   

So who are the rest of us? We're a motley crew from all over the UK and Italy united with a common aim. Many of us work for companies within the Finmeccanica Group who are helping organise events to raise money but we are also from the Ski Club of Great Britain and the CSDST. 

In a nutshell we are:

Team Cyclists: Steve Rose, Jack Taylor,Terry Bonnett, Andy Jenkinson, Gary Halliday, Brad Crawshaw, Steve Christie, Tom Dearden, Alan Shillitoe, Roger Hones, Pier Antonio Catella, Domenico Cairola, Pete Dunning, Martin Hewitt, Mick Brennan, Helen Buchannan, Bronwyn Brook, Mick Brennan.  

Support drivers: Jacquie Lawrence-Swan, Andy Tyrell, Gruff Moriss, Jacqui Stones,  Col. David Eadie and Maj. Ian Large

A bit more info about the ski team and who it supports .....

The current CSDST team members are; Captain Martin Hewitt (Parachute Regiment) who was shot through the shoulder joint in Afghanistan and Corporal Pam Grainger (Royal Air Force) who lost the use of her right arm in a motorcycle accident – both of whom compete as a one-armed skiers; Sergeant Mick Brennan (Royal Signals) who lost both legs above the knee in a suicide-bomb blast in Iraq, Lance Corporal Pete Dunning (Royal Marines) who lost both legs in a mine blast in Afghanistan and Sergeant Stu Pearson (Parachute Regiment) who lost his left leg and right heel in multiple mine blasts in Afghanistan – all of whom compete as a mono-skiers; Trooper Stevie Shine (Royal Tank Regiment) who lost his left leg in an Improvised Explosive Device incident in Iraq, Lance Corporal Si Wiggins (Coldstream Guards) who lost his right leg in a mine explosion in Afghanistan – both of whom compete as 3-track skiers and Captain Bernie Bambury (Rifles) who lost his right foot in an accident on the Cresta run and competes as a 2-tracker. 

All of the members of the team have suffered horrific injuries, especially those wounded in action on operations.   They have all been through rehabilitation at , and now lead a largely independent life within the Forces.  Their progress to recovery, which can never be absolute, has been an enormously painful journey. The rehabilitation process at is incredibly taxing and those who have lost their lower limbs have had to learn to walk again using computer-controlled prosthetic legs. Thereafter they have had to learn to ski, a process in which falling over is infinitely more painful than it can ever be for an able-bodied skier.

 

Now that you know a bit more about us and what we're trying to achieve please donate some money to help ensure that the CSDST can continue to support our injured servicemen and women.  

La Grande Sfida

Il prossimo 15 maggio i membri della squadra Combined Services Disabled Ski assieme ad alcuni rappresentanti delle aziende Finmeccanica, inclusa SELEX Galileo, daranno il via ad una gara ciclistica di beneficenza Luton-Roma.

Dalla partenza in Inghilterra all’arrivo in Italia, la squadra correrà per un tragitto di oltre 1.600 chilometri e avrà bisogno di tutto il vostro supporto.

Le donazioni contribuiranno ad aiutare gli atleti disabili a continuare nel loro impegno sportivo nelle competizioni
sciistiche internazionali e nelle Paraolimpiadi Invernali del 2014.

 

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