On 16 July, Phil Carrick, Andy Murphy, Keith Drake and Gary Carmichael cycled part of the Tour de France route, raising the fantastic sum of £5091.25 for our Charity of the Year, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind. It was the 25th year of the Etape du Tour, which gives amateur cyclists the chance to try one of the mountain stages from the iconic route.
The ride of 125 miles (202 km) took just over 11 hours, and saw the guys climbing to 3613m. For Gary and Keith it was the first time they had attempted such a challenge. Gary said “It was a tough challenge, but very rewarding – and for a worthy cause” and Keith felt that “Briançon to the Col d’Izoard was the best bike ride of my life”. Andy and Phil completed the Etape in 2014 and knew how hard it would be. Andy described this year’s challenge as “the most difficult, but most rewarding thing I have done for a long time”. Phil said “I was just so happy that all four of us crossed the line in the end!”
You can find Phil’s experience of the ride at the following link: https://www.relive.cc/view/1087108907
A cheque presentation was made to Claire Thomas, Fundraising and Marketing Manager of Hull and East Yorkshire Mind at the Paneltex site in Hull. Claire said, “I want to say a big thank you to the cyclists from Paneltex and everyone who supported them on behalf of Hull and East Yorkshire Mind. One in four people in any year experience mental health difficulties, so this donation will help us to make sure we are there to support people in the local area. We can only provide that support with the help of local people who are so generous with their donations, so a big thank you to everyone who took part.”
Paneltex is delighted that so many people supported this fund-raising effort and wishes to thank all those who gave so generously.
Visit paneltex website on http://www.paneltex.co.uk/
