Hi all, In July this year the UK Starbucks Support centre and France are entering a team to participate in the London to Paris bike ride (230 miles !!!) to raise money for Care International.  A group of 16 very crazy but special partners (see personal profiles below) will undertake this arduous journey, in what will be physically demanding for most of the team to say the least.  Please donate whatever you can afford, its a great cause... and this group would have earned every penny of it !!!

The Starbucks Cycling Team is made up of;

Neil Gibson; I have been a Starbucks Partner for 12 ⅟₂ years, during that time I used to work in stores,  but now work in I.T. across EMEA.  The bike ride to Paris is a daunting, monumental challenge, 230 miles by bike… I wouldn’t even drive that far in a car. The cause, Care International is well worth the physical and mental anguish I expect to be punished with over the three days, so please donate and help us smash our target.

Andrew Bryan; I have been a Starbucks partner for 3 years, and I can be found hanging out in the IT department where I’m involved in  supporting stores in the UK and projects across Emea.

I’m riding a ‘fixed gear’ bike from London to Paris which means I only have 1 gear the whole way – ahh the pain! I’m taking the challenge because I want to make a real change in the lives of people that are much less fortunate.

Christina Ramos; Starbucks Partner for 3 ½ years. Have worked in the store for 3 years and have joined the P&AP team in the SC in October last year. I’m not usually the type to do sports in my private time (or ever!!) - however such a great and worthwhile cause calls for some commitment!!

Hiteche Bhatt; Starbucks partner for 4 years.  Im the bean counter of the cycling team,  working in Finance.  Physically this is going to be a real challenge for me, as I am not blessed with shall we say an athletic physique J - however it such a wonderful cause, and that in itself will keep me going.

Dominic Elton; Spring time in Paris? Not quite, hot sweaty and sore after 3 days cycling in the height of summer all the way from London! What could be more fun? Well I can think of a few things but it’s the cause that’ll keep those legs going. That’s why I’ll be doing the ride, and with very little experience (I’ve just bought my first bike!) I’ll need all the support I can get, so please give generously J Dom – IT Starbucks Partner for 5 years.

Jimmy Galaxy aka (Curtis); I have been at Starbucks for 11 years. I’m part of the marketing team and work on Shared Planet. I got involved in challenges for the first time last year and it changed my life! I got fit both physically and mentally and raised buckets of cash for important charities that Starbucks works. I’m really excited about crossing the finish line in Paris and having a glass of Champagne with the team of amazing partners who have signed up to this ride.

Ejaz Rana; Starbucks Partner for 6 mths (incl contracting 1 yr and half) working in SCO demand planner for UK market. NEVER done anything close to this so is a massive challenge! Not much of a bike rider, which makes it even more of a challenge

Liam Whelan; Starbucks Partner for almost 4 years.  This is a will be a challenge for me as it’s a bit more than my 6 mile commute to work.  I’m a member of the IT part of the group so will be the ones twittering and mapping our way to Paris. 

Ryan Haste; I have been a working at Starbucks for about 11 months now. I belong to the EMEA IT Team and they made me enter this event. This will be a really big challenge for me (230 Miles) because my bike only has one gear and it can’t freewheel (Fixed Gear Bike). I keep telling myself, it is for a good cause and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Help us hit our target so we can help someone that needs it most. What I am trying to say is: “Show Me The Money”. J     

Peter Blower; I’ve been working in IT for 8 years at Starbucks. I’m looking forward to the event and even enjoying training…sometimes. This is a great way for me to get fit, discover a new sport and most importantly, help the many initiatives supported by CARE.

Natasha Bunkevich; I am a partner of 5,5 years, started working in a store and joined SC 2,5 years ago. Work in SCO at the moment.  Really excited about doing something amazing like cycling to Paris in order to raise money for Care- the charity that save millions of lives who really need it.

Mark Hulley; I have signed up to cycle the 230 miles from London to Paris this summer in aid of CARE International, not just because I believe in this wonderful cause, but also because each of my co-workers has generously agreed to transport one piece of my furniture on his bike to facilitate my move from the UK to France. Hiteche has volunteered to take my double wardrobe, secured to his forehead using an aircraft seatbelt. Neil is taking my sofabed, and Pete will be providing specialist server transport for my Mac, which isn't allowed to do any bumps. I have been a Starbucks partner for five years and my fundraising goal is to arrive in Paris with enough furniture to fill my apartment, which has a double garage. OK, truth be known, it actually IS a double garage

Also taking part are the following partners; John McNulty and Garrett Murphy (Emeat IT),  Laura Dalgleish & Sarah Dunne (PR & Comms).