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THE LIGHT FUND
sump and crumpled passenger door. The latter vehicular damage meant three lost deposits from the hire company. In terms of photographs, 2,567 were taken which resulted in the photographer having a severely bruised muffin top after hanging out the sunroof of the support car for four days. We had one young lady nicknamed ‘Chips’ and she did exactly what it says on the tin and we also had one Geraint Thomas (winner of this year’s Tour de France) lookalike in Thomas Lindsay (Signature Gifts). In aggregate terms we amazingly only had nine punctures, consumed 1,120 pints (including the Friday night party at the Guinness Store House), burned 1.96 million calories, ate 700 sausages, blocked two toilets, cycled 21,500 miles and climbed 23,760 feet. We flirted with hypothermia in Ireland and averaged only five hours of sleep each night… mostly because of room buddy snoring. The favourite meal of the week was chicken and pasta. The least favourite meal was also chicken and pasta. Other food options during the week were pasta with chicken! The unsung hero of the week was Eric Zaadnoordijk (World of Delights), our token Dutchman amidst a renegade bunch of localite islanders. Upon returning home, what a sheer joy it was to receive in the mail a commemorative mug with a picture of us all at the finish outside the Merry Ploughboy pub. How thoughtfully befitting of Paul Hodgson (Forever Collectables) and despite the jest, absolutely gratefully received by one and all and a wonderful momento to value and cherish.
So how does one sign-off on this epic and benchmark re-alignment for The Light Fund. Truth be told it is not straightforward as something quite remarkable has both occurred and been achieved. There will be more, other and different mass participation events for The Light Fund and now is the time to at least open the mind to the possibility of taking up the gauntlet and weathering the storm. For those who do, there is a life-long bond and cameraderie second to none in an industry that is grounded in strong and inter-personal relationships and the black book of door ajar contacts. Our cyclists are definitely the ‘doers’ of the moment, however, this was a team effort beyond the physical with support coming far and wide from employers, sponsors, friends and family not just in the British Isles, but from across the world. Every army needs its Generals and Commanders, however, it is the rank and file that wins the war. The total raised is simply staggering at circa. £230K and epitomises the utterly incredible compound power that can be channelled and harnessed for the greater collective good. The sum of the parts is always greater than the sum of the whole. Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.
The ride in numbers
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70 – the number of riders who started the ride 70 – the number of riders who finished the ride 2,567 – the number of photographs taken 9 – the amount of punctures suffered 1,120 – the number of pints consumed (including the Friday night party at the Guinness Store House) 1.96 million – calories burnt 700 – sausages eaten 21,500 – number of miles cycled 23,760 – number of feet climbed 2 – number of toilets blocked LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2018