Nexia Solutions cyclists on the 176 mile bike ride

Once a circuit of the Wirral was completed, which included the last stop at Parkgate near Neston, the cyclists headed for the hilly area around Delamere Forest as darkness closed in. Once through the forest and sharp descent at Acton Bridge, the group quickly reached the finish at Great Budworth and applause from the regulars at the George and Dragon. They arrived just after 11pm, around an hour and half behind the original schedule.

Dan Mathers summed up the mood of the riders. “It was good to reach the finish after 12 hours and more in the saddle,” he said. “We were all very tired but elated at finishing the event and being able to raise so much money for good causes.

“Our satisfaction was balanced out by disappointment for Gareth in that he was unable to complete because of his crash. It was a relief that he came through such a heavy spill relatively ok.”

In the end, the group rode a total of around 1,400 miles on one of the most demanding cycle courses in the north-west. Over £2,000 was raised for The Weston Spirit and other charities including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Wigan and Leigh Hospice.

Nexia Solutions has been working closely with The Weston Spirit this year as part of its Corporate Responsibility (CR) strategy. The charity was co-founded in 1988 by Falklands War veteran, Simon Weston OBE. He and his two partners, Paul Oginsky and Ben Harrison, look to offer inner city youth an alternative to exclusion, apathy, unemployment and crime.

The Weston Spirit operates 11 centres around the UK, where young people aged 13–25 can work, learn and socialise together in a safe, non-judgemental environment. To date, more than 72,000 young people have been helped and supported.

Having recovered from his accident on the ride, Gareth Thomas reflected on the event: “While it was bad luck for me to crash out, I have to accept that I was really fortunate to escape without broken bones or more serious damage. Thankfully, the other seven managed to finish and take advantage of the generosity of our sponsors.

“We had close support from various corporate and individual sources including engineering systems company NIS Ltd who made a very generous donation, Bramhall Contract Motors who provided our support van, Risley site Café Continental who donated all of the food and drink, the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) who kindly supplied our cycling kit, Lime Print Solutions, the Rippleffect online agency and the Weber Shandwick PR consultancy.

“Last but by no means least, many thanks to all of the individuals who made donations. We are very grateful for all of the support we received.”

Gareth said he was “disappointed” to have not completed this year’s ride but is already planning to take part in a 100 mile organised bike event around Cheshire in September and another one in October. He is already considering doing the full Cheshire Cycleway again next year. We wish him the best of luck!