Generous cyclists are on their way to raising more than £250,000 for UK children's charity Action Medical Research after riding from London to Paris.
The 150 people who took part in the 300-mile ride from 20-24 July are set to collect the impressive sum to fund medical research to help save and change the lives of sick and disabled babies and children.
The event, which is in its 16th year, finished with cyclists riding in convoy down the iconic Champs-Élysées to the Eiffel Tower the day before the Tour de France race ended along the same streets.
"This is a fantastic achievement by all the riders who took part - it's a tough event but it's so rewarding and we're really grateful for their support," says Oly Watts, Challenge Events Manager at Action Medical Research.
"There are hundreds of thousands of children in the UK whose lives are devastated by disease and disability. It's too many. Far too many. Research can put a stop to this, but Action Medical Research needs help which is why fundraising from events like these is so important."
A number of hardy supporters then rode on into Switzerland as part of Action Medical Research's newest challenge from Paris to Geneva.
The route, through rural Burgundy and crossing the beautiful Jura mountains, gave cyclists the chance to tackle the hairpin bends of the Col de la Faucille, a 1323m-high mountain pass which has tested the pro peloton on 10 occasions in the Tour de France.
Among those taking part in Action's London to Paris ride were 25 riders from data and information management software firm Commvault, who joined forces with 12 riders from Pure Storage for the event.
This was the second year Commvault have put together a team for the ride and the two companies hope to raise a total of £65,000 for vital research.
"I was one of nine people on the team who also participated in the event last year, but not only did we have more people from more countries raising more money this time around, the team camaraderie, bonding and combined sense of achievement was taken to another level," says Susie Andrew, EMEA HR director at Commvault.
"For us as a business the ride creates friendships between employees from different countries and roles who may never normally meet within a business circumstance. It is also a galvanising cause that creates a lot of other social events and collaboration within the company. We have had football tournaments, cake sales, tea parties and poker nights all directly fundraising for the ride, so not only does Action Medical Research benefit, but the whole organisation comes together and interacts better because of it."
For more than 60 years Action Medical Research has helped pioneer treatments and ways to prevent disease that have benefited millions of people in the UK and across the world. Research they've funded has helped to beat polio in the UK, develop ultrasound in pregnancy, fight meningitis and prevent stillbirths.
Action Medical Research is currently funding research into meningitis, Down syndrome, epilepsy and premature birth, as well as some rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children.
If you'd like to ride for a reason and raise money for Action Medical Research by cycling from London to Paris in 2017, please visit action.org.uk/action-london-paris to find out more and to register.
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