The 2019 stage 5 of Cellular Solutions’ Epic Charity Ride
The 2019 ride saw our 12 cyclists start in Bergerac and make their way over the rolling French countryside all the way to Toulouse. This took 3 days of hard riding, steep hills, punctures, injuries, rain and tears! But they all made it and claimed their victories for their chosen charities!
Day 1 our riders covered their first 102km from Bergerac to Agen. The weather was fine on day one, with numerous 200m inclines along the way.
Day 2 they made it from Agen 106km down to Auch. This time it was constant rain and a headwind which made that day’s ride very tough. It only briefly stopped raining whilst the cyclists stopped for their lunch and were indoors, and it patiently waited for them to begin riding again before it started pouring again! They also conquered their biggest 260m incline on this wet and windy day, well done guys!
One of our riders, Steph, has taken part in all the rides to date and had this to say about the soggy second day “we faced some of our toughest conditions yet, with heavy rain and strong headwinds for majority of the 2nd day. We were all soaked through and chilled to the bone, but the morale remained high and we kept our charities in mind throughout to get us through the tough times”
Day 3 was the final leg from Auch to Toulouse. 94km of continuous ups and downs and conditions were thankfully much better. A bit of a chill but dry much to the relief of the riders.
They all arrived triumphant in Toulouse knowing that all their blood, sweat and tears had raised so very much for so many different causes. During their ride they were brilliantly supported by Danni and Lolli in the van generously provided by Pavilion Car Rental for no cost. They kept everyone going with food and refreshments and all while dressed as superheroes! Very apt I feel!
While this was all happening abroad, our amazing team of staff back at the offices were also doing their part in the fundraising. They had 2 static bikes set up outside our building and in 2 relay teams cycled 1200km between them. They also held an epic bake sale, had Gilli and Gordos Pizza sell their delicious pizzas on location and donate a share of their sales, had a fancy dress competition, organised a wonderful raffle and all whilst giving our famously unbeatable award winning customer care and support to our customers, outstanding!
Debbie, one of our static bike riders said “This is my second time involved in the CS charity bike ride and it’s definitely one of my favourite events to take part in. As a company, giving back to our local community and to our main charities is a vital part of why we do what we do – one of the many reasons I love working here. The bike ride is a wonderful opportunity for us to raise as much money as we can for as many charities as possible and it’s amazing seeing everyone really getting involved. It’s always great to see the team coming together, supporting each other, investing in the cause and cheering each other on.”
Because everyone here got involved we were able to raise a significant amount again this year. All individuals had their own JustGiving page supporting a charity personal to them, and all other fundraising will be split evenly between our nominated charities. These include –
– Chestnut Tree House
– Martlets Hospice
– St Catherine’s Hospice
– Trevor Mann Baby Unit
– Sightsavers
– Diabetes UK
– Help for Heroes
– Macmillan Cancer Support
– Alzheimer’s Society
– Brain Research Trust
– Marie Curie
– Mind
– RNIB
– And many many more….
We would like to send a special big THANK YOU to our amazing partners, Gamma Telecom, who sponsored this leg of our epic journey across beautiful France. Their sponsorship ensured that our riders could complete their mission with all the support and supplies needed. We would like to thank them for helping make this charity event the success that it has been.
Thank you again to Pavilion Car Rental for the loan of their van.
Thank you to Gilli & Gordos for helping with our fundraising.
Thank you to all the local businesses who donated prizes to our raffle
James Ross Jewellers
Land Beyond Festival
Evans Cycles
Brighton Palace Pier
Boundary Festival
Hixon Green
Decennia Weightlifing
Komedia
Whiting & Hammond
Ellbie Co (Becci Ford)
Sam Church Hair
Sandown Racecourse
Drusillas
The Grand Hotel Brighton
Jumpin Inflatable Fun
Sam Church Hair
Zama Punjabi Kitchen
Brighton Foot Golf
Shoreham Hair Lounge
i360
Sam Church Hair
Brighton Watersports
Eden
Keehan’s Barbers
A HUGE THANK YOU to all our friends, family, customers and business partners who donated either their time, resources or money – without you we couldn’t have achieved so very much!
There is still time to donate – Our group JustGiving page is here – https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/cellularsolhove
Our story so far is here – https://www.cellularsol.co.uk/cellular-solutions-cycle-to-the-south-of-france-for-charity
