ABELLIO LONDON AIMS TO RAISE £20,000 IN TRANSAID CYCLE CHALLENGE Eleven staff to take part in LondonAmsterdam charity bike ride
I
n September, staff from Abellio London will put themselves to the test by taking part in a 225-mile LondonAmsterdam charity bike ride. The event is organised by Transaid which supports actions to improve road transport safety in Africa and other developing nations. The Abellio London team will have 11 members, a high proportion of the 60 people expected to take part, and is aiming to raise at least £16-20,000. “PCV (passenger carrying vehicle) driver training in Africa is not of the highest standards and road deaths are high, so Transaid is a charity close to our heart,” says Abellio London assistant operations director Lorna Murphy, who will be taking part.
“We have supported Transaid for a couple of years and as Abellio is a Dutch company, that was further reason for us to rise to what seems quite a daunting challenge!” The Abellio London team members range from drivers and administrative staff to senior management. They will be riding in the colours of the Abellio SFA Racing team, which has offered assistance in helping prepare for the event. ● Transaid’s LondonAmsterdam cycle challenge takes place from September 13-16. Further information is at www.transaid.org/london-toamsterdam-cycle-ride-
ABELLIO SPONSORSHIP SPEEDS SFA RACING TO SUCCESS
O The road racing team’s kit is in Abellio’s colours
ver the past year, Abellio’s red, white and grey colours have become a familiar sight in cycle road racing and time trial events across the UK. At the start of 2012, the company stepped in to provide sponsorship so that the San Fairy Ann cycling club, one of the oldest in the country, could form a racing team.
Abellio London assistant operations director Lorna Murphy will be among the Abellio London team raising funds for Transaid in its London-Amsterdam cycle challenge
Previously members of the club, based near Maidstone, competed in races as individuals, but there had been a steady flow of its most promising riders to smaller, dedicated racing clubs. Since the formation of the Abellio SFA Racing team within the club, which has 450 members of all abilities interested in both leisure and competitive cycling, only one person has left for a rival racing team. “It’s unusual for a large club of our size to have a sponsored racing team, and that provides the prestige that appeals to some of our members,” says road racing team captain Simon Charlesworth. “We
also felt Abellio was an appropriate sponsor because of our common association with sustainable travel, and of course because of the Dutch cycling culture.” The sponsorship of £5,500 for 2012 and 2013 has provided funding for a team kit, at less than half the price that team members would usually have to pay. This has been a particular benefit to Abellio SFA Racing team members who are students. The team’s best known cyclist is former professional cyclist Geoff Wiles, who was national road racing champion in 1987, and over 65s national road racing champion last year. 19