Fortec Distribution Network executives Chris Dennigan and Adrian Bradley are calling on the industry to get behind them as they swap eight wheels for two in their quest raise thousands of pounds for children with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses.
The pair who are themselves Two Fat Blokes on a Bike cannot quite be described as stereotypical cyclists, yet have bitten the bullet and signed their names to a cycling challenge from Coventry to Amsterdam to raise funds for Zoë's Place Baby Hospice in Coventry.
The venture is part of the ongoing relationship between Zoë's Place and their employer, the Fortec Distribution Network.
As part of the challenge, Chris who is Fortec's Business Improvement and Performance Manager and Adrian, Fortec's General Manager – Operations, will join a group of volunteers to cycle 210 miles from Coventry – the home of the bicycle – through the Cambridgeshire and Essex countryside and on to the coastal Dutch lanes through to Amsterdam.
Lasting three days the challenge will benefit babies and children from birth up to the age of five from across the Midlands region, in need of 24-hour, palliative, respite and end-of-life care.
Between them Chris and Adrian are hoping to raise a minimum of £10,000 – all of which will be used to enable Zoë's to reach its £1.3 million target enabling the facility to remain open 24/7 every day.
The cycling challenge is the latest in a number of fundraisers organised by Fortec which has supported Zoë's Place since before its opening in Coventry in 2011.
Both Chris and Adrian have invested in Google bikes, enabling them to cycle anywhere in the world from the comfort of their own homes using Google Maps technology. In fact the pair are so taken with their swanky new gadgets that they are still yet to test their new-found fitness on the roads!
They are in the midst of a 26-week intensive training programme gradually building up their distance in preparation for the 70-mile-per-day ride.
Chris said: "We have learned a lot about Zoë's Place through Fortec's involvement with the charity over more than three years.
"Adrian came into my office suggesting this ride and I had never done anything like it before so thought it'd be a great challenge to get my teeth into – with challenge being the operative word!
"The training is far from 'pallet-able' and you do need discipline. We really hope the industry will get behind us and make all the pain worthwhile!"
Mick McCann, Fundraising Manager and Cycle coordinator said "We are delighted that Adrian and Chris have taken on the challenge, Fortec have been Corporate supporters of Zoë's Place for a number of years raising vital funds for the children who use our services at the hospice. Our children face challenges daily and it's encouraging to now that Adrian and Chris have risen to the challenge to make a difference".
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