Paris to Geneva by bike to help young Londoners
Wednesday 15 July 2009
David Alexander and Richard Bradley of the Alexander Associates Group took to their bikes for Greenhouse in July, raising a phenomenal £5,000 on a challenging 360-mile ride from Geneva to Paris.
We talked to Richard about why they took part – and how knowing their efforts would improve the lives of young Londoners helped get them over those alpine climbs...
1. What training did you do – and did it prepare you for the reality of the course?
'David and I only started cycling at the age of 42 – that's just two years ago! We did the London to Paris cycle last year – but that was 270 miles and not over the Alps! We did some 30-mile rides in the weeks running up to the challenge, however it simply couldn't prepare for the 360 mile ride which included 70 miles through the alps and four 4-mile climbs! We didn’t even stop on one of them which is a miracle.'
2. You chose to support Greenhouse through the charity fundraising event organisers Skyline. What inspired you to choose Greenhouse from their other charity partners?
'We felt that helping children in deprived areas or those that lack of support locally would be a great opportunity.'
3. How does it feel having met your fundraising target, knowing it will help to improve the lives of many young Londoners?
'We feel extremely happy at having reached our £5k target. We had support from so many people. On the long hills and last few miles each day, it helped to think of the reason why we were raising the money. It also helped in the training!'
4. Have you done something like this before, and are you keen to do something like this again?
'I've signed up to run the Berlin Marathon in 2013 for Greenhouse with my son – when he'll be 18. It's his idea!'
Find out how you can help Greenhouse by running the Berlin Marathon 2009
