On 29th June 2017, 8 riders from Cyclepods are riding from Westerham to Paris over 3 days to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

In 2016 our director Pat McCarthy passed away unexpectedly from a heart condition. Losing Pat so unexpectedly was a huge shock to us all. Pat had played a huge role in so many of our lives, and was a driving force behind the success of Cyclepods. He was a great mentor and leader, a wise and compassionate friend and a loving father and grandfather who is very sorely missed by all who knew him.

We at Cyclepods wanted to commemorate Pat in a way that we would always remember and that would raise money to support the British Heart Foundation. Since Pat loved France and Cyclepods is all about bikes, it made perfect sense to us (after a few drinks) that we should all cycle to Paris in his memory!

It may have been said in mock seriousness at the time, but even after realising it would involve 3½ days of solid riding over 300 miles we were determined to do this for Pat and for all people and families that are affected by heart conditions.

So here we are, 7 months later and with even stronger resolve! Some of us are seasoned cyclists and some of us are complete newbies, but we are all dedicating hours to training and supporting each other.

A final part of Pat's legacy has brought our team even closer, made us a hell of a lot fitter and will see us complete a massive physical challenge!

There are 8 of us taking part in the ride and we are;

• James Steward
• David Leach
• Paul Rothwell
• Jane Bowes
• Ellie Blackman
• Luc Bonnici
• Maarten Meijnen
• Dirk Hoorn

Please help us raise money for the British Heart Foundation in honour of this great man and friend!