On 25 March, our team swapped warm floors for working legs as we took on a full-day charity cycling challenge in support of Basildon Mind.
From 9am until 4pm, two teams went head to head to see who could cover the greatest distance. Luke captained the aptly named “Too Hot to Handle(Bars)”, while Lee led “Make the Bike go faster” — a team name that left nobody in doubt about the plan.
Each captain recruited riders to complete a series of 30-minute cycling slots. Everyone took to the bike twice, giving each participant a total of one hour in the saddle. With every kilometre contributing to the final score, the challenge called for consistent team performances as well as a few standout individual efforts.
Seven hours of pedal-powered competition
Once the clock started at 9am, the riders took it in turns to clock up as much distance as possible. Every 30 minutes brought a fresh pair of legs, another contribution to the total and a new opportunity for one team to edge ahead.
The format was simple: when the final session ended at 4pm, the team with the greatest collective distance would take the win.
After seven hours of cycling, Luke’s “Too Hot to Handle(Bars)” team claimed first place with a collective distance of 193.9km, pipping Lee’s “Make the Bike go faster” team to the top spot.
There was also an impressive individual performance from Callum. During one of his 30-minute sessions, he covered 19.8km — the furthest distance achieved by any rider in a single slot during the challenge.
Charity cycling challenge results
- Date: 25 March
- Challenge time: 9am to 4pm
- Format: Two teams completing 30-minute relay slots
- Rides per participant: Two 30-minute sessions
- Winning team: Luke’s “Too Hot to Handle(Bars)”
- Winning distance: 193.9km
- Furthest individual 30-minute distance: Callum with 19.8km
Riding for a bigger reason
Although the day included plenty of friendly competition, the challenge had a much more important purpose: supporting Basildon Mind, our Charity of the Year.
Basildon Mind is an independent local mental health charity supporting people across Basildon, Billericay and Wickford. By raising funds and awareness, we are helping the charity continue providing valuable support within the communities in which many of our colleagues, customers, friends and families live.
Events like this give us a practical way to support that work while bringing colleagues together around one shared goal. The final distance was important, but so was every person who volunteered for a session, encouraged a teammate or helped keep the challenge moving throughout the day.
A big thank you goes to Luke and Lee for leading their teams, to everyone who took a turn on the bike and to those who supported the riders from the sidelines. Congratulations to Callum on the day’s best individual distance — and, of course, to “Too Hot to Handle(Bars)” for earning the cycling challenge bragging rights.
Support our fundraising for Basildon Mind
Our fundraising for Basildon Mind continues beyond the finish line. Donations of every size can help the charity continue supporting local people experiencing mental health difficulties.
Visit our fundraising page and support Basildon Mind.
You can also visit our charity blog to follow our latest events, challenges and fundraising updates.
