On Sunday 4th August, our stores manager Karl Revill took part in the Prudential Ride London – Surrey 100, in aid of the charity All4Burma. A seasoned cyclist anyway, the event was a chance for Karl to cycle on the temporarily closed off roads in London whilst also allowing him to lend his support to a fantastic charity.
All4Burma’s aim is to support the Burmese people, whether they are still living in Burma or refugees in other countries and Karl anticipates that he has raised a super £400 in doing the event.
The Prudential Ride London – Surrey, saw Karl cycle 100 miles from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, through the capital and into Surrey’s beautiful countryside before finishing back on The Mall in the centre of London.
The ride took Karl just over 5hrs and 13 minutes and it is an event he will never forget:
“It was absolutely amazing. The last mile, going up The Mall and seeing the sights of London was stunning!
When asked what the worst bit was I thoroughly expected Karl to tell me about a killer hill or something similar but no, ever the professional, he told me that he should’ve stopped for more water stops along the route (he only stopped once during the whole of the ride) and as such was struggling at the end!
And the best bit of the day?
“That’s easy,” he said “riding 100 miles on roads and coming across no cars trying to kill me was absolute heaven – I loved it!
A legacy of London 2012, Prudential Ride London – Surrey was on the whole a massive success with the ladies having a chance to cycle the route on the Saturday and the gents turn on the Sunday. With professional riders, charity riders (such as Karl) and relay teams all taking part in the 100-mile route, the weekend saw nearly 16,000 riders take to their bikes for the new event.
The weekend was also a real opportunity to get all the family out and about on two-wheels with the FreeCycle event which took place on Saturday afternoon. Open to the general public, FreeCycle saw nearly 50,000 recreational riders given the chance to ride an eight-mile route around the capital city on closed roads taking in the sights and the sounds of London from a totally different perspective.
With the date already set for next years events over the weekend of Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August, Prudential Ride London looks set to be another event firmly fixed in the cycling calendar of riders young and old – hopefully for many years to come.
Although Karl is unsure whether he will take part next years event, he cannot recommend the whole experience highly enough and we here at Two Wheel Centre could not be more proud of Karl and his wonderful achievement not only for charity, but on a personal level too.
Well done Karl!
