0161 723 2000
8AM to 5PM
0161 723 2000
8AM to 5PM
New Year, new me…well maybe not, but it is time for a new physical challenge. Last year it was to run a marathon (which was as gruelling as you can imagine), this year I’ll be cycling…and cycling…Brussels to Brighton in fact.
On 3rd – 6th May 2018, I’ll be joining a team of 30+ property and construction professionals and support team, to raise money for a whole host of charities based in Sussex, including, Rise – Freedom from Abuse and Violence, Sussex Heart Charity, The Clock Tower Sanctuary and Martlets Hospice Care.
The challenge is being organised by the Brighton & Hove Property Consortium in association with Colin Brace Properties and will cover 142 miles of cycling over 2-3 days, including a Guinness World Record attempt to cycle ‘A Mile in the Sky’ in Brighton’s British Airways i360 observation tower.
The trip is shaping up like this:
Day 1 – ‘A Mile in the Sky’ Guinness World Record attempt, travel via Eurostar to Brussels.
Day 2 – Aalst to Bruges via the famous ‘Tour of Flanders’ Koppenberg cobbled hill climb. 65miles, estimated cycling time 5h 25min.
Day 3 – Bruges to Lille, cycling near the northern coast from Bruges to Dunkirk, onto Ypres and finally Lille. 58 miles, estimated cycling time 4h 30min.
Day 4 – Lille to Brighton, travel via Eurostar and cycle from Haywards Heath to Brighton. 15miles, estimated cycling time 1h 20min.
I thought this part of Europe was fairly flat but then saw the Koppenberg cobbled hill climb, a challenge for even the professional cyclists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghhAWkM7weE. At its steepest it’s a 22% gradient, and it goes on and on! Will we make it all the way to the top? I’m going to give it my best shot!
So, time to start the training. I’ll be cycling to work and back, that adds around 18 miles a day of road riding, and includes a few small hills from Manchester City Centre to our offices in Radcliffe. I’ll need to do some spin classes for speed, and get out for longer rides at the weekend. Normally, my rides take me out from Manchester into Cheshire, where it’s nice and flat. However, with the 22% climb, I think I’ll need to head north instead and explore the West Pennine Moors!
My aim is to raise £750 for the selected charities, this isn’t a small task, so I’ll be relying on the kindness and support of friends and family, work colleagues, and hopefully some of you lovely people to dig deep and sponsor me. I’ve set up a Just Giving page, so if you’d like to sponsor me please follow the link https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/brighton2brussels2018stuartmorrisjksl
All support is greatly appreciated, and will be going to some fantastic causes. I’ll be giving regular updates on my training and the event in May, so watch this space.
http://www.brighton2brussels.co.uk/
Stuart Morris
Surveyor, Japanese Knotweed Solution Ltd
