As a team, we are raising funds for the National Autistic Society who provide information, advice, and support to autistic people and their families. This is a cause that is very close to our hearts following the recent diagnosis of our team captain, Dan Ingle’s son William.

The event is being generously supported by CloudShift, Pexlify, and Epam/ PolSource who are sponsoring the riding teams and by Coveo, Natterbox and OwnBackup who are providing valuable support for the event.

A little about William

William from day one showed immense strength of character, he should be called 'Wilful' (family joke). He was determined and passionate and knew exactly what he liked and didn't. As parents we noticed little nuances that we put down to William just being the way he was, we just didn't know better, and as he got older they became more apparent - covering his ears at certain noises, strong dislike of certain foods and textures and smells which resulted in a restricted diet. William developed a strong feelings of injustice, angry outbursts, friendships became not easy for him to make and maintain compared to say his brother and peers. There would be very hard conversations to hear from such a little boy, such as how he did not like himself or feel good about himself, he felt very sad inside but didn't understand why.

William from an early age had special interests, from trains initially to Titanic, Dinosaurs, football and now North Macedonia of all places :) . He reads adult books on the topics and watches Youtube videos over and over and could tell you every minute detail. William's ability to recall facts and figures is staggering.

During the first lockdown the anxiety of change and being at home constantly really made William hyper focussed on his interests, he was reciting facts and figures constantly, almost compulsively and the negative, upsetting conversations about himself intensified. It was then that we started the process of diagnosis, which was incredibly lengthy and expensive. We visited child psychologists, occupational therapists, behavioural psychologists… Waiting lists to be seen even initially by the NHS are years long, None of it is covered by private healthcare, meaning it is incredibly inaccessible to many families who, like us, are looking for understanding and help.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis has changed every element of life for the Ingle family. Having no knowledge previously about Autism, the family are learning to understand, support and help. William is now at a fantastic mainstream school where he is supported and encouraged by a brilliant Teacher and team (Bisley C of E School).

William is happier than ever.

About our cause

It is estimated that around 700,000 people are on the Autism spectrum in the UK. That’s 1 in 100 people.

Yet only 22% of autistic people are thought to be in employment.

Our aim is to raise funds for the National Autistic Society, as well as increasing understanding of the benefits of neurodiversity in the workplace.

For this, 3 teams will be cycling from Salesforce Tower in London to the Paris office, a challenging 3-day ride, during which the teams will be cycling over 230 miles.

It means so much to Dan and his family to have the support of colleagues and partners, with so many taking part in this challenge. We’ll be sharing little snapshots of our journey along the way. To get involved, please donate and share our story.