After cycling 850 miles for charity a haulage firm boss ditched the bike to return home on a more familiar mode of transport. Mick Bleach spent 13 days biking from Land's End to John O'Groats but travelled home in just 23 hours on board four different trucks. The 52-year-old is managing director of Bleach of Lavant a member of Palletforce, the palletised distribution network and returned to his Sussex depot via the Palletforce hub in Burton-upon-Trent.
Michael Conroy, Chief Executive of Palletforce, said: "We were more than happy to sponsor Mick's challenge and we were even happier to help him arrive home in comfort after almost two weeks in the saddle." Mick raised more than 5,000 including 100 donated from Palletforce for the British Heart Foundation, St Wilfrid's Hospice in Chichester and Leukaemia Research.
He picked the BHF as his father, also called Mick, was given a new lease of life after a triple bypass 10 years ago but his friend, Bob Morris, sadly died from a heart condition. Mick chose the hospice as it helped a friend of his, Jennie Hill, the wife of one of his drivers Bob Hill, since doctors gave her just four months to live a year ago. "She has had operation after operation and proved all the doctors wrong," said Mick. "Recently I went to her 60th birthday party, a party no one thought she would be having. During her illness the hospice has been very helpful to her and her family."
Mick, who was joined by his office manager Neil Sedgwick for the first three days of the journey, will be handing over the cash to the charities over the next few weeks. "Surpassing the sponsorship target is great and makes it all worthwhile," said Mick. "It was puncture-free and I cycled the whole way I didn't get off and push at all. It's something anyone is able to do but it's very easy not to do it or give in on route. But you've just got to put your mind to it, when the weather's bad and you're sore you just have to keep going."
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