Rad Vlaanderen Stuttgart Challenge 2013

CIE's HDBaseTEAM will be squeezing into their lycra and hitting the saddles this September as they cycle 550 miles from Belgium to Germany in just 3 days!

Hoping to raise thousands of pounds for their three adopted charities – Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and local children’s charity Derby Kids’ Camp – the CIE-Group ‘lycra lads’ (and lass!) will leave Bruges in the early hours of Thurs 26th September, cycling well over 500 miles and aiming to reach Stuttgart by Saturday 28th Sept.

The team – consisting of CIE’s Group Sales Director Steve Collin, Marketing Director Chris Edwards, Field Sales Director Kevin Sherwood, CYP Product Manager Martin Featherstone and AV Account Manager Lauren Bamford – will this year be riding under the name of ‘HDBaseTEAM’ in recognition of the team’s sponsorship by AV Signal Distribution Partners CYP Europe to promote the launch of their latest HDBaseT products.

This will be the Team’s 6th year of cycle challenges, having already raised well in excess of £10,000 for the 3 charities – including local children’s charity Derby Kids’ Camp – an organization close to CIE Marketing Director Chris Edwards’ heart…
‘For the past 6 years I have had the pleasure of working with Derby Kids’ Camp as the Charity’s Chairman; this is a local charity, completely run and managed by unpaid volunteers, which provides hundreds of free holidays every year to the area’s most disadvantaged young children. Every year, more than 350 children – some of whom have never been on holiday in their lives – enjoy a week’s free adventure thanks to our 150-strong team of volunteers. Without the amazing support we have received over the years from the CIE cycle team, many, many children would have missed out on this unforgettable experience’.
Importantly, the members of HDBaseTEAM will be covering all the costs of the trip from their own pockets, ensuring that every penny raised goes directly to the three supported charities.

The HDBaseTEAM will leave the UK on Wed 25th Sept, riding from Bruges on Thurs 26th Sept and aiming to reach Stuttgart on Sat 28th Sept.

We ask all our friends and colleagues to please show your support of the Team’s efforts and the hard work of our supported charities by donating a little or a lot - whatever you can afford!

Another Year... this has to be one to make you wince - cobbles!

"6 years in the saddle and pressing on to try and raise another significant amount of money for three worthy causes by pushing our bodies and minds through some of the toughest terrain and darkest places you would ever want to experience..." said Martin, Drummer and pedalpusher.

Lauren remarked that "The Challenge is to ‘Ride from Flanders to Stuttgart’ covering 550+ miles in three days, raising lots of money for Charity".

Riding from Bruges, along canal paths, we will quickly reach Oudenaarde, and join the famous cycling monument route of the Tour of Flanders where we will taste the challenge of the cobbles, and dispel the belief that Belgium is flat before travelling on through some attractive rolling countryside through the Flemish Ardennes to our overnight stop in Liège.

On day 2, starting from the famous town of Spa, our ride will quickly gain height as we progress into the Parc Naturel Des Hautes Fagnes and then into the beautiful alpine like Eifel Forest where we will cross the border into Germany!!

After passing through Gerolstein, famous for its pro-cycling team and mineral water, we will drop into the Mosel Wine Valley finishing at the award winning Pohl Botzet Vineyard.

We then pass through the beautiful medieval town of Burnkastel Kues followed by a final climb and long descent into our second night in Idar-Oberstein.

Our final day, on Saturday 28 September, will test our tired legs as we climb out of the valley from our overnight stop into the rolling Naturpark Kurpfalz Park, and through the Karlstalschlucht Gorge before dropping into the Vineyards of the Rhine Valley and facing one final climb and descent to finish in the cobbled square of the medieval town Markgröningen, Stuttgart!

Please support us on our quest to raise as much money as we possibly can.  Our sponsorship will be shared between the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Derby Kids' Camp.