We’ve just heard that the 5 National Highways cyclists completed their mammoth 405km cycle between Penzance and Tewkesbury! An unknown source told us that the story has been delayed because, Jack Mason has spent most of his time since refuelling in McDonalds, Terry Robinson is still passed out on his sofa watching cricket, Ian Cole is still trying to fix the clicking noise on his bike and Jimmy Richards and Mike Webster are still cycling and were last seen on the outskirts of the Sahara Desert!
Here’s how we received the news!
“The crack pot team, (literally) of support drivers had us sorted with Gavin Johnston crushing our energy drink supplies under those giant feet and Chris Pouard singing merry tunes for 12 hours straight – they kept the banter up through the night for sure. Jon Durnell swooped in and provided some level headedness and support as he tossed the cyclist equipment and food into the 5 door Focus. This provided Chris with amusement at the unorganised chaos that was unfolding. Thankfully our man of experience Tim Ashton joined up with Jon on the promise of those delicious brioche rolls that were now circa 20 hours old and a bit warm.
We set off from Penzance 2 ½ hours early at 17:30 on Thursday 23rd of June to our famed destination of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. The riding team, Jack Mason, Terry Robinson, Mike Webster, James Richards and Ian Cole early set off anxiously awaiting the moment where bedtime would normally occur. We cycled through the night ascending nearly 3500m in elevation before arriving at Exeter services (190km) at around 6am. Encouraged that we were all now Tour de France ready having tackled the heights of Dartmoor, and a friendly visit from our Service Delivery colleague, Julian Strong, the next stage felt less ominous…. only 220km to go. It was time for Gavin and Chris to leave us and make the exchange with Jon, our next support driver. Seeing Jon in Taunton felt like another milestone complete with a visit from our SES colleague, Mark Maynard, Jimmy’s family and some encouraging toots on the car horn from our traveling Geotechnical Engineer, Maxine West, it was enough to spur us on a few miles more. A matter of directional debates occurred before Weston but we safely made it to Tesco car park ready for a refuel. One mechanical later and we were soon ascending Avonmouth bridge heading for our final stop and refuel near Brunel House. Tim Ashton had joined the driving crew and it was great to see some colleagues and family before those final 75km. Those last km’s just went by so slowly – it was a war of attrition by the end and the sense of determination was clearly needed to get to the end.
459,000 – nope that’s not how much was raised but how many peddle revolutions we all did collectively to travel a whooping 405km! 18hours 20 mins of continuous riding. Finishing in a total of 24 hours as the overall time is an achievement we are all proud of.
It was not just about the five cyclist it was very much a team effort, and we would like to especially thank Chris Pouard, Gavin Johnston, Jon Durnell and Tim Ashton as the drivers who were essential to a safe and smooth event. There have also been several other people in the business who have supported us doing this in the planning and gaining support in the business.
A fabulous £1600 was raised for the Lighthouse Club but most importantly we would all like you to think of why we were doing it which was to raise awareness for people struggling with their mental health and in some cases resorting to suicide”.
Thank you!
