Well, we've finally completed what turned out to be a VERY tough challenge and in fact was around 585 miles in total.  We didn't finish until pretty late each evening (on Monday it was gone 2300h!) and with early starts every morning, each of the 5 days were like an endurance event in their own right.

Here are a few stats for your perusal:

Monday 135 miles, 14.5 hours, 2300h finish
Tuesday 125 miles, 12 hours, 2100h finish
Wednesday 114 miles, 13.5 hours, 2210h finish
Thursday 111 miles, 11.5 hours, 2045h finish
Friday 100 miles, 12 hours, 1930h finish

Thanks once again for all your support, and congratulations of course to the team for completing the challenge - we are also well on the way to beating last years total raised !!

Here's what we just did:

Last year, loopy BAE SYSTEMS Integrated System Technologies (Insyte) employees raised over £11,000 for Sue Ryder Care, including a generous donation by our company matching the funds we raised.

Once more, the gauntlet has been thrown down, and we're prepared to do it all again, going round in circles for charity cycling over 555 miles (actually 578 miles, or 930 kilometres) in only 5 days, on a circular route taking in the company's Southern sites - and quite a few ferries - from Monday 15th to Friday 19th June as part of Bike Week 2009!

Remember - this is wholly in aid of Sue Ryder Care, our company's Charity Partner, and is a great way to help you keep those fundraising wheels rolling!

The challenge:

Monday sees us leaving New Malden and skirting London to the East, heading for our first site visit at Rochester, then on to the docks at Gravesend and the first ferry of the trip to cross the Thames, to Tilbury.  Heading North for the second site visit of the trip at Chelmsford, and then on to the overnight accomodation just outside Stevenage after 125 miles in the saddle.

Tuesday is a day free of ferries and site visits, as we clock up the miles heading very much West to cross the country, passing through the beautiful Cotswolds on the way.  We arrive at Ross-on-Wye after skirting the Severn Estuary with another 120 miles on the meter.

Wednesday, it's passports out for the border crossing into Wales for the third site visit of the  trip at Cwmbran.  Welsh sightseeing is shortlived as it's back over the Severn Crossing to our fourth site visit at Filton.  From here, we head towards Dorchester, stopping about 25 miles short in refreshing Wells with a tally for the day of another 120 miles.

Thursday, we complete the stretch to Dorchester for our fifth site visit, then to our second ferry, the Sandbanks chain ferry near Swanage and shortly on to our sixth site visit at Christchurch for a lovely cuppa.  We then head for into the wilds of the New Forest to catch our third ferry, taking us from Lymington to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, where we stay in Newport after a steady 120 miles.

Beyond this lies our seventh site visit at Cowes, closely followed by our fourth ferry - the chain ferry between East and West Cowes.  Once across the town, we head for our fifth ferry which takes us back to the mainland, arriving in Portsmouth where we have our eighth site visit at Broad Oak after which we head North over the hill to our ninth site visit at Waterlooville before winding our way through the Hampshire countryside to our tenth site visit in time for a decent luncheon at Frimley.  Then it's home in time for tea & medals and our eleventh site visit - back where we started all the madness - at New Malden, having ridden a further 95 miles.

So that's it!!  5 days, cycling over 555 miles, catching 5 ferries and visiting 11 sites!  You only had to read it - we've got to do it!!

Along the way, our colleagues will help out by driving a support van, kindly loaned by the company, carrying water and spares.  Our advanced thanks to everyone who will have helped towards making this year's ride an even bigger success than our superb fundraiser last year, especially to the various sites' facilities staff and other colleagues, who in the background have all volunteered their time and services.

We thank you for visiting our fundraising page - please dig deep and sponsor us online as we will have dug extremely deeply to cycle all that way!!

Our company will match any funds raised, which will provide even more help for Sue Ryder Care.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Sue Ryder Care gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor us now and if you wish state who in the team your are supporting

Many thanks again for your support.