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This July our intrepid team comprising colleagues from Booker, Tesco, Londis and dunnhumby will be taking on a three day challenge in the Scottish Borders, tackling whatever weather and terrain we encounter along the way. It'll be lumpy, long and arduous in places but we will as always keep smiling and pedalling in an effort to raise the much needed funds that are so essential to the work of GroceryAid

The charity, which supports current and former colleagues in the Grocery Industry is experiencing huge and ever growing demand for financial, emotional and practical support. They work for the benefit of thousands of colleagues across the sector. In total more than £6million was spent supporting colleagues in 2023/24

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Amongst those taking part this year are:

Lee Edwards, Director of Branch Operational Support at Booker and Road Captain of this year's team

A veteran GroceryAid supporter returning to the team after a two-year hiatus, Lee brings with him the determination to finish everything he starts. His only dislike is headwind so you can expect to see him lead from the back if the wind is in the wrong direction

Phil Banks, Category Director for Bakery, Dairy and Local at Tesco

Phil's career with Tesco stretches back 30 years and he's been a supporter or GroceryAid throughout. His cycle challenge history includes two London to Paris rides, one London to Stratford Upon Avon and one London to Amsterdam. What those rides have in common, save perhaps for the slightly lumpy final day of the London to Stratford event is a distinct lack of anything resembling a proper hill, as does his home territory in Norfolk. The Scottish Borders will be a wholly different experience that his legs will remember for years to come

Andrew Thompson, Retired former Trading Director at Booker

Andrew is a founder member of the organising committee from which this event has evolved and as staunch a supporter of GroceryAid in retirement as ever he was whilst at Booker. This will be his 10th year participating in the UK ride and whilst he might not admit it, we know that secretly he's really looking forward to seeing how steep the hills are this year

Andy Macavoy, Supply Chain Manager at Booker

Andy joined us for the first time last year in the Peak District on what was without doubt the toughest GroceryAid ride to date. Despite never having ridden such demanding roads before he gritted his teeth and through sheer stubborn determination rode every mile. Enough time has passed for Andy to forget the month of stiff and painful legs that followed that event and he's now looking forward to giving them another beating in the Borders

Victoria (Vics) Read, former Retail Development Manager and GroceryAid Fundraiser extraordinaire

Vics' history on the team stretches back to the post-covid "Bike to the Bard" event held in 2021 that replaced the planned London to Paris ride that year. Somehow it led to her agreeing to take on the far tougher UK based rides on a regular basis, cycling from one end of Wales to the other, across England from Whitehaven to Whitby and around the Peak District National Park, all with their never ending hills and at times impossible gradients. Despite their difficulty she point-blank refuses to give up, after all, there's no pain that can't be cured by showering in Champagne

Jose McKeon, Trade Planning Manager, Tesco

Jose was a keen cyclist for many years until a head injury resulting from a bike accident put paid to her riding career. Not to be deterred, she fought her way back to fitness and returned to cycling on the 2023 GroceryAid London to Brussels event. Since them she's gone on to ride the English Coast to Coast and this year joins us in Scotland to take on another new challenge. Jose has been involved with GroceryAid for many years and now sits on the fundraising committee to further support their terrific and invaluable work

Steve Hayes, Retail Development Manager, Booker

Steve's cycling skills have been honed in the Mountains of the Brecon Beacons and the valleys of South Wales. His legs will still be turning regardless of length or gradient and he'll wish everyone he passes a cheery "good morning" even if it's past tea-time. No, we don't know why either

Matthew Kay, Group Brand Director, Tesco

Matt came to cycling late at the point when his knees refused to continue playing football or running any longer and finding the bike to be a great way to stay active without inflicting quite as much pain has taken to it like a duck to water. Most of his riding so far has been of the flat variety but he's hit the hills for training purposes and has even travelled to southern France to tackle the famed Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux, 1,910 metres of iconic cycling nirvana

Steven Richardson, Global Head of Procurement & Property at dunnhumby

Cotswolds based Steven won't be phased by a few hills, living as he does amongst several of the Top 100 UK climbs but three days in the saddle doing nothing but hills will still be a challenge. That said he likes a challenge and recently took part in the Paris-Roubaix sportive, 173km of brutal, partly cobbled and invariably freezing cold roads. Dubbed the Hell of the North, it's a one of the monuments of cycling and feared even by the professional peloton who raced it the following day

Joe Beesley, Marketing Assistant at Londis

Joe's a very keen cyclist and worked in a bike shop before joining the Booker Retail Team. Inspired by the work GroceryAid do to support colleagues across the industry and keen to help the cause, he's signed up for this year's ride and really looking forward to the challenge. The South of England is his training ground where there's no shortage of hills to practise on, all of which will hopefully pay dividends when it comes to the event itself

Richard Lucas, Category Buying Manager at Tesco

Richard hates two things, training and hills. All the same we've managed to convince him it's a good idea to join us in Scotland despite the memories of suffering through the Peak District with us last year. Another long-term rider and serial supporter of the GroceryAid cause, Richard started cycling as a junior member of his local club back in 1985 and has helped with the fundraising effort by taking part in London to Brussels and the Bike to the Bard event in recent years

Steve Marston, Foodservice Support Manager at Booker

Now into his 44th year with Booker and a supporter of GroceryAid dating back to 2002, Steve returned to cycling on a regular basis in his forties and has impressed his two grown up kids by the sheer longevity of his mid-life crisis. On second thoughts impressed is probably not the right word given it's involved him spending the best part of 20 years dressed in Lycra. Lets go with embarrassed instead