Birmingham Airport cyclists set off for Barcelona
Above: Paul Kehoe, CEO, Birmingham Airport, waves off Team BoB.
The Airport team aim to raise £30,000 by cycling to Barcelona through six countries over eight days, in aid of three worthwhile charities - Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support and Back Up Spinal Cord Injury Charity.
Back Up has provided support to one of the cyclists, Martin Sutcliffe, after suffering a spinal cord injury through a cycling accident back in 2010. Martin will only use his hand bike during the eight day charity expedition, whilst his five companions – David Winstanley, Bob Graham, Peter Wright, Richard Forbes - will use Racing bikes.
The challenge, titled ‘Barcelona or Bust’ (BoB), will cycle through Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, France and Spain, each cycling in 25 mile stages. Their route also includes a number of the Tour de France epic mountain stages including Mount Ventoux which is nicknamed the “Beast of Provonce” and the infamous L’Alpe dhuez with its 21 hairpin bends, before reaching the centre of Barcelona on the 20th September.
The cyclists, who have become known around the Airport as ‘Team BoB’, have a four strong support crew, responsible for logistics, health and safety and nutrition. To give Martin road support and visibility, he will be accompanied by Nick Jordan, one of the Airport’s fire fighters and trained first aider.
Before setting off, Team BoB member and operations director for Birmingham Airport, David Winstanley, said: “We brainstormed ideas about a year ago to develop a challenge to help raise money for charities all dear to our hearts. Since then, we’ve been training, planning and fund raising tirelessly, and we’re really pleased with the donations already received. We’re now eager to hit the road, spread the word and reach our £30,000 target for these three worthy charities.”
All fuel for the support vehicles needed for the expedition has been sponsored by MG Motors UK and cycling kits supported by Oshkosh Corporation & Partners. The fundraising has already got off to a good start through local fund raising and awareness events that have led to generous donations from key airport partners, including Teberg DTS, Utter Visual Creations, Eastern Airways and Coupe Decor Maintenance.
Above: Team BoB cyclists, support team and vehicles.
The Birmingham Airport ‘Barcelona or Bust’ team consist of:
Cyclists:
• David ‘Winco’ Winstanley – Operations Director (from Rutland)
• Bob ‘Fulton Mackay’ Graham – MD BHX Fire and Rescue (from Solihull)
• Martin ‘Sooty’ Sutcliffe – Airport Manager (from Wolston close to Rugby)
• Peter ‘Wrighty’ Wright - Development Project Manager (from Rugby)
• Richard ‘Four Biers’ Forbes - Terminal Services Engineer (Water Orton)
Support Crew:
• Deane ‘The Dependable’ Arnold – Contracts Manger
• Jon ‘Parksey’ Parkes – Senior Controller
• Nick ‘Lantern Rouge’ Jordon – Airport Firefighter
Above: And they're off...
Barcelona or Bust has a dedicated website where donations can be made, their live progress can be tracked, and daily blogs will be posted - www.bob-cycle-challenge.com
