On the 14th September, a team of amateur and fun rider cyclists who work at BCA set off on a mammoth challenge, riding from BCA Blackbushe to Paris, a 400km journey. The aim of this challenge was to raise as much money as possible while also raising awareness for the charity Action for A-T. This charity works to raise money that funds research into a rare childhood disease.

For the epic challenge in September, forty-five riders gathered at the start and took place in the BCA Paris Challenge, and had support in the form of support crew and vehicles. It was hoped that this event would raise £30,000 for the Haslemere-based charity. The funds would then be put towards the medical research that could help to speed up the process of finding a cure for the rare, genetic degenerative childhood disease, Ataxia Telangiectasia.

The 400km challenge took the group three days, and as the group stood in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, they had already tripled their initial goal, managing to raise £93,436for this worthy charity.

There were a number of sponsors for this charitable event that have come from the manufacturing sector, including Toyota and Renault. The leasing sector also showed their support for the event, with companies like ALD, Lex Autolease and Ogilvie acting as sponsors for the event.

Those that took part in the cycle challenge were committed to finishing and there were training sessions held in advance of the event. This means that all of the riders were prepared for the grueling 400km ride, which was a significant test of the riders’ endurance. The completion and the amazing amount of money raised is a demonstration of the hard work and dedication put in by the riders, and allowing them to arrive in Paris in relatively good shape after travelling through all weather conditions from sunshine to thunderstorms.