Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome step aside!! Harrogate businessmen Howard Marshall, of Marshall Zoing and Keith Hemmings, of Joe Manby Limited, recently completed the gruelling Big Bad Bike Ride in support of Ataxia UK – and not a sideburn in sight!
The 2013 event was staged in the hills around the scenic Lake Vyrnwy in Wales and, with the help of many generous sponsors, they raised more than £5,000 for the charity which supports research into potential cures for Friedreich’s Ataxia, a genetic degenerative neurological disorder affecting children and adults.
It was the fourteenth Big Bad Bike Ride held since the inaugural event in 1991 and the consensus amongst the 110 riders was that the 62 mile course was the biggest, baddest Big Bad Bike Ride ever!
Keith said:
I’m a regular cyclist but after only five miles we hit the first steep hill and it just kept going!
It was the toughest ride I’ve ever done but, as ever, there was great camaraderie en route and a massive sense of achievement at the end of the ride – and it’s all for a fantastic cause.
Howard, who is a Trustee of Ataxia UK, said “The charity is one close to my heart as both of my children have been affected by Friedreich’s Ataxia. The commitment of the riders was outstanding, only matched by the generosity of the sponsorship we received, and every penny raised goes directly into research with our aim to find a cure for Friedreich’s Ataxia by 2020.”
The Big Bad Bike Ride was the brainchild of York businessman Graham Kennedy who set out to raise £1m to fund research into a cure for Friedreich’s Ataxia after his two eldest children were diagnosed with the illness, for which there is currently no treatment or cure.
Around £800,000 has already been raised by the BBBR and the push is on toward the £1m target with the next event to be held in and around York on 13 September 2014. For more information and entry details see www.bigbadbikeride.co.uk
