Destination Bristol chief executive and keen cyclist John Hirst has signed up to take part in city centre hospital charity Above & Beyond’s Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge next year – and is urging more business people to join him.
John, pictured, got into training for the 430km, four-day challenge with a stint on the static bike at the charity’s marquee at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta last weekend. 
Next year the challenge will raise funds for the latest ultrasound technology to enable surgeons to see 3D images of a heart in real time, enabling them to carry out complex operations on children like Joe with congenital heart conditions, with even greater precision.
Joe, now aged 11, was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition from birth and had a heart bypass aged just four. When he was small, he could have had a cardiac arrest at any time. His dad Andy says he would go into his room in the morning to “listen to his first breath”.
Andy and Joe’s consultant Dr Andrew Tometzki were the first two participants to register for the Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge 2016 and welcome the participation of business leaders and teams in the Above & Beyond event. Andy said: “Eight months of your life – training, fundraising and taking part in the Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge – will give a number of children their whole lives back.”
The charity’s Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge 2016 will offer participants the adventure of a lifetime, as they pedal 430kms over four unforgettable days setting off from Bristol on April 29 to cycle through quintessentially English countryside en-route to Portsmouth.
They will then set sail to France for two more action-packed days cycling through medieval French towns and sleepy villages before experiencing the thrill of crossing the Seine to finish triumphant at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on May 3.
John Hirst said: “I was disappointed to miss the 2015 Cycle Challenge due to injury, but I am really looking forward to 2016!
“The enthusiasm of those who rode with the charity amazed me: so many of them have told me how much they enjoyed it.
“Riding on the static bike at the Balloon Fiesta has given me the impetus to get on my own bike and get training. I’ll be with you all cycling from April 29 – May 3!”
Christian Tate, founder of Creative Cadence – who did the Cycle Challenge as part of the 70-strong Above & Beyond team last year – described it as: “One of the greatest things I’ve ever taken part in and achieved!”
Fellow participant Matt Spry, founder of Bristol-based Emergent Business Solutions, added: “I loved the whole experience – from the meet-and-greet rides, through the fundraising support and the ride itself. The four-day challenge was everything I hoped it would be – good company, a real physical challenge and the satisfaction that comes from raising money for a great cause. The Bristol hospitals do a superb job, and I’m very proud to help them.”
To find out more or to register for the Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge 2016, go to www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk/cycle, email Lorna Clarke, head of corporate partnerships, at Above & Beyond at: lorna.clarke@aboveandbeyond.org.uk, or call her on 0117 370 0842. Registration closes on September 18.
Above & Beyond is raising £6m through its Golden Gift Appeal to transform the Bristol Royal Infirmary and the Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre beyond what the NHS can provide.
