We cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats – without leaving the building!
We set up a Just Giving page, along with a static bike in the team canteen, and got in some practice before the official start day. It was amazing to see how enthusiastically our people embraced the opportunity to cycle, and gave their time and effort to the cause of Mental Health Foundation during Mental Health Awareness Week. Dan Knight, our IT Manager, decided to cycle to and from work for the week, so we added his km covered on the road to our total. Graeme Brouder, our Commercial Director, opted to run to and from work – spurring everyone on and challenging us to raise our game on the canteen bike.
With the manufacturing facility running throughout the night, so did the half hour cycling slots that we signed up for. For five full days, 24 hours a day, we pedaled for all we were worth to reach our virtual John O’Groats before the close of business on the Friday.
We absolutely smashed our target! Thanks to some amazingly fit people and lots of dedicated novices, all of whom made an extraordinary selfless effort, we reached our goal on the Thursday. Together, we cycled 1432 km in five days. Lands End to John O’Groats is actually 1350 km, so, by the time Friday night came, we had either managed to take some virtual scenic detours, or else we could easily have made it to Orkney if it weren’t for the sea in between!
Special mention should go to some of our most prolific pedalers:
Distance travelled in a single half hour session
Michal Kaleta – 18.75 km
Ben Palmer – 16.76 km
Will Kelly (1 hour) – 37.15 km
Distance travelled over the full week
Michal Kaleta – 93.27 km
Will Kelly – 77.73 km
George Johnston – 65.61 km
The combined totals achieved just by Michal, Will and George are about the equivalent of cycling from Witham to Birmingham!
We were so proud of the team for some truly outstanding performances, but also for the superb way that everyone pulled together to go all those extra kilometres! Well done to all.
