THE Bedell Anthony Lewis Cycle Challenge got under way this morning – and what a start it was, with a 4.45 am wake-up call and wheels rolling before most people were out of bed.
After breakfast, a team photo and final briefing, the 112 cyclists left London at the crack of dawn to avoid the morning rush hour.
Before them lay 85 miles of travelling through Kent under their own steam, with the P&O terminal at Dover their first destination.
This evening they were due to catch a ferry to Calais, before cycling another five miles to their first night stop.
Last night, the cyclists – most of them inspired by former JEP assistant editor and stroke survivor Anthony Lewis to take up the challenge – gathered in a hotel near Tower Bridge.
There they were briefed about what lay ahead – 320 miles of cycling over four days with stops in Calais, Arras and Compiegne before a final push to Paris.
The challenge has been organised by the Stroke Association in Jersey and a company called Discover Adventures, which organises such charity rides.
Each cyclist will pedal at their own pace following orange signs along the way, although today there is an important deadline in the form of a departing ferry.
The mood at last night’s briefing was upbeat, although it was understandably accompanied by some trepidation.
‘I am sure like my fellow cyclists I’m a little nervous at the prospect of what lies ahead,’ said Tim Pearce, a partner at main sponsor Bedell and friend of Anthony. ‘However, as we are riding for such a worthy causes, the challenge is really worthwhile and I’m pretty excited by it all.’
The cyclists are raising money for the Stroke Association and Driving for the Disabled Jersey.
