On your bike! Over the Pennines and far away…

Our Cyclothon may have been cancelled for a second year due to the ongoing pandemic, but that hasn’t deterred six, eager cyclists from TotalEnergies in Ferrybridge!

Avid Cyclothon participants for many years, the group have come up with a way to get on their bikes and raise money for the Hospice.

With 30, 60 and 100 mile routes to choose from on a typical Hospice Cyclothon event, the team have decided to go one step further and challenge themselves to complete a whopping 150 miles!

On July 15^th they’ll be swapping the Yorkshire countryside for their own route and will cycle from their operational plant in Ferrybridge all the way to their plant in Preston. The challenge will take two days and includes some steep Pennines climbs of up to 6500ft!

Back in the first lockdown, team member, Patrick, along with his daughter, Kasia and her partner, Jack collaborated to make their own rendition of Brandi Carlile’s ‘Carried You With Me’ to raise funds for the Hospice.  Patrick said;

‘My daughter put the song together last year to raise funds for the Hospice following the cancellation of the Cyclothon. As we train for our challenge we realised the words are very apt both for the Hospice and the ride, with lyrics including ‘I’ll be your wheels I’ll be the road’.’

The group hope to raise money and awareness for the Hospice, and said their ‘inspiration comes from the devoted staff at the Hospice who provide compassionate, vital support to families going through their own difficulties.’

Many staff members at TotalEnergies have had family and friends benefit from the care given at the Hospice, giving this challenge personal meaning to the group and their supporters.

Patrick, TotalEnergies staff member and ex rugby league player, explains his motive for taking part in the challenge and said;

‘Caring for loved ones in their time of need is so important. To have people in our community and places such as The Prince of Wales Hospice to offer this truly selfless service is invaluable.’

The team are busy training ahead of their big challenge;
‘Some are running marathons, others are training in the hills of the lakes, whilst the rest are following each other on Strava, but it is fair to say that the training is underway for all riders.

‘One thing for sure is that the team will support one another over the two days, to make sure we complete the challenge and raise as much money as possible for The Prince of Wales Hospice.’

We were sent some witty bio’s for the team members, which we had to share with you! Meet the men behind the challenge:

• John Ryder – General Manager of the Lubricants plant at Ferrybridge – Marathon runner
• Iain Mitchell – Supply Chain Manager in the Lubricants business – “Fat lad at the back” of the Cyclothon for many years.
• Tom Hyde – Technical Support Manager in Lubricants - All round athlete
• Roy Taylor – European Product Manager – Lubricants – Climber, cyclist, route planner
• Chris Ralph – Area Business Manager – Lubricants - Powerhouse and Cyclothon veteran
• Patrick Howley – Aviation Assets and Network Development – Aviation / AS24 – Ex Rugby league player
• Wayne Clarida – Marketing Executive – Lubricants – Support driver/domestique and all round good fellow – a must on any trip!
• Stephen Parker – Marketing  & Communications Executive – Lubricants – Sponsorship  and promotions kingpin –   (talks a lot, usually about Leeds United and beer)

We wish Team TotalEnergies the best of luck with their training and with the challenge, we’re sure their humour and the athletes amongst the team will lead the entire group to success, including, we’re sorry to say… Iain, the ‘fat lad at the back’.
 
You can support this incredible challenge by donating at:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/totaluk