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AUGUST 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO SPORT
www.proinstaller.co.uk
EPIC CYCLE FROM
CANADA TO MEXICO
With many miles, deserts, hills and mountains covered, the GM
Fundraising Border2Border team, sponsored by Deceuninck, has
completed the epic challenge of cycling from Canada to Mexico.
“I struggle to find the
words to explain how
difficult it was,” comments Gary Morton,
founder of GM Fundraising and a rider in
this year’s B2B challenge. “Brutal was
one word widely used
by almost every rider.
The early part of the
ride saw heavy rain,
thunderstorms, snow
and hail storms with
temperatures around
seven degrees. One of
the hardest days, unexpectedly, was on Day
2 riding from Monroe
into Yakama, Washington State.
“Team one had to climb
5,400ft, more than half of
which was in the last eight
miles, through pouring rain
and a strong head wind – it
felt like the worst hour of
any ride I have ever done,
both physically and mentally. The winds on Day 3
saw us pedalling our hearts
out downhill where there
would normally be some
reprieve. The views from
Crater Lake were stunning,
but it was so cold no one
could stop for very long to
take them in.
“This quickly changed
though as we ascended on
to the Columbian Plateau
and into the desert - acclimatising to this was really
difficult. The high temperatures meant earl y starts to
avoid the +45 degree highs;
gruelling runs through
deserts which nearly set
your feet on fire, and an
astonishing amount of
feet climbed in one day
– 12,994ft over the Santa
Rosa Mountains into Borrego Springs on Day 10.
“We also made a detour to
meet our sponsors Deceuninck at their new plant
in Fernley, Nevada. We
were joined by a special
guest, Fillip Geerhert, the
CEO of Deceuninck USA,
who joined the team to
make the journey into the
plant.”
Roy Frost, Managing
Director of Deceuninck UK
adds: “It was great to see
the rapid progress on our
new factory in Reno, Nevada. Filip told me that the
walls had only just gone
up and the new silos were
installed the day before we
arrived. It’s open for business this month (August)
and in the evening we met
the new management team
and wished them all the
best in their new exciting
venture.”
Gary continues: “The
varying weather conditions
certainly added to the
enormity of this already
epic challenge but it hasn’t
been all bad. Some of the
scenery was spectacular,
the laughs have been many
and the team spirit soared
throughout. Our Hope
House Mascots, Poppy,
Harley and Kyle gave us
daily reminders of who we
were doing this for and the
whole team pulled together
to get each other through
to the end.
“The support team was
amazing – they coped with
every situation, putting
in extra hours before and
after the rider’s day to
make sure everything was
in-hand. They provided a
continuous supply of food
and gallons of water –
almost 250 gallons in fact
– first aid, therapy (both
mental and physical) and
found bike repair shops
to mend the mechanical
issues we encountered.
They were also responsible
for some of the stunning
photography posted on
social media.
“To say I am very proud
of the team is an understatement. In total, the team
completed the following:
2,111 miles; 94,600ft of
climbing; 864,000 calories
burned; and 4,536,000 peddle turns.
“The end of the ride saw
us cycle into The Border Field State Park and
was followed by a party
hosted by Alan Reece and
Kevin Harvey of Panoramic Doors, who have
operations in both the US
and UK. It was a wonderful gesture and a fantastic
way to end the ride. Their
generosity didn’t stop at
the party as they also donated $3,000 to the B2B
fund.
“Thank you to everyone
that has supported us
throughout – and not just
from GM Fundraising and
the Border2Border team,
but from all the children,
families and staff at Hope
House.”
Funds raised go to Hope
House Children’s Hospices
who GMF has supported
for the last 15 years raising
over £1.2 million. Based
in Oswestry and Conwy
Bay, Hope House provides
palliative care and support
to life limited children
offering services including respite and end of life
care at the hospices or at
home, and the organisation
supports counselling, advocacy and the promotion of
children’s, young people’s
and carer’s rights.
www.gmfundraising.co.uk