This May, our team completed our annual charity bike ride, this year from London to Brussels, honouring our beloved Alpha Crew family member, Hassan Elabbady. The ride raised funds in his memory for the British Heart Foundation, with the team facing challenges and celebrating successes along the way. Here's our round-up of this year's ride and the memorable moments throughout the journey.
The Plan
Day 1 - Cycling from London to Calais
Day 2 - Cycle across the border from Calais into Menen, Belgium
Day 3 - The final day will see us cycle from Menen to our final destination, Brussels
Day 4 - Home time!
A Strong Start
On Friday 24th May, we set off on our journey from London to Brussels. Our Operations Director George MJ, surprised us all - after separating from the pack to take a more relaxed pace, he ended up beating the rest of us to Le Shuttle! We also managed to successfully complete day one with no punctures! This was an impressive achievement as on the first day of our ride last year from London to Amsterdam, we had 15 between us…
Also in previous years, we've found ourselves on difficult terrain and even ended up in a farmer's field, but this year was a considerable improvement with our Director Bes doing an excellent job planning the route. We had a lovely day cycling past England's beautiful rolling hills, although the 800 metres of elevation was pretty tough! Our final hill approaching Folkestone was an arduous and seemingly never ending job - but we all made it to the top in one piece. We were sore and tired by the end of it, but had a good meal and sleep to refuel and prepare for day 2.
The Half Way Point
On Saturday, we woke up raring to go and had a hearty breakfast in Calais after 137km of riding on day 1. We then cycled 130km from Calais to Kortrijk, Belgium. Day 2’s cycle was a little more gentle in terms of elevation, but the team had to push through tiredness and sore legs to complete this leg. We also had one lucky escape after a somewhat dramatic looking collision - a reminder that with team sports, communication is key!
We Made It!
On our third and final day, we cycled 100km in torrential rain to make it to our destination, Brussels. Our total journey was an incredible 260 miles! We finally made it to the end, absolutely soaked through to the bone but totally full of pride and excitement to have completed yet another incredible ride.
We want to extend a huge congratulations and heartfelt thanks to every rider and team member who participated in this year's ride. Your determination, teamwork, and spirit made this journey truly unforgettable. Each of you has shown incredible resilience and dedication, and we couldn't be prouder of our Alpha Crew family.
A special thank you goes out to everyone who donated and supported us along the way. Your generosity is what makes this ride possible and helps us keep Hassan's memory alive. If you haven't donated yet, there's still time to contribute to this meaningful cause and help us reach our fundraising goals. Thank you for your continued support!
