Published by Lyn on 5 March 2011
The 1500km Aedas London to Cannes charity ride is under way – in his first blog from the road, Richard Trillo explains how the ride came about
The 2011 Cycle to Cannes route
Cycle to Cannes was the brainchild of architect and writer and cycling enthusiast Peter Murray, who first cycled to Cannes with 16 friends and colleagues for the annual MIPIM property industry convention in 2006. They were raising money for Tom’s Trust and the Multiple System Atrophy Trust. A year later more than 50 colleagues accompanied them, and the ride has grown since then. The ride raised £172,000 last year, and organisers are hoping the ride's cummulative total will break the £1m barrier in 2011.
This year there are 83 riders supported by three team vans each sponsored by a different company; two crew cars; a fully wrapped (ie covered in sponsors’ vinyl branding) double-decker bus and luggage trailer; a grease monkey mechanic’s van with two specialist cycle mechanics and every tool and part that might be possibly be needed; and eight motor bike outriders.
A ride like the Aedas Cycle to Cannes has to clear the roads as it progresses along its route – effectively a rolling road closure – so the local police are formally notified of the entire route, using the services of a local fixer who specialises in bike rides.
By having three team sponsors as well as our principal sponsor Aedas, we can organise the riders into three teams, each with its own branded kit.
The 1500 kilometres of London to Cannes is split into stages of roughly 50km – a distance that takes approximately two hours – and the six days of the ride are composed of two to six stages each, with each team riding for two of those stages each day. Riders can choose to do more stages, and each year fifteen to twenty ride the whole distance. Riders leave their day bags in the bus, and when not cycling, they travel in the bus from stage to stage, while their bikes are transported in the team vans.
Accommodation is in hotels with dinner and breakfast – people pedalling 300km a day need good food and a comfy bed.
In return for the support and organisation, riders pay £1499 to cover their costs and have to raise a minimum of £3000 for the five charities that C2C supports – Tom’s Trust, the Multiple System Atrophy Trust, LandAid, Article 25 and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. From 2012, the main subject of our fundraising will be the children’s charity Coram.
Making it all happen
So that’s the structure. Making it happen is a full-time job for Nick Hanmer, C2C’s chief executive, who I’ve just subjected to a probing interview from the back seat of our Renault Espace, C2C’s mobile press office.
You obviously know where you’re going on these back roads – how do you decide the route?
I do a recce trip every year with our French fixer, which takes three days. We need a fairly direct route using the quietest roads possible with a decent surface. We go over last year’s route, calling in at the hotels, checking out village halls for toilets and car parks and finding boulangeries who can take advance orders.
Insurance must be an issue on a ride like this?
We have event insurance, and that includes third party liability, so if a rider takes out a pedestrian our insurance covers that, but each rider has to have his or her own bike and health insurance which will cover them if they fall off.
How do you choose the hotels?
They’re based on previous experience really, and instinct. We’ve found the Accord chain – Ibis, Mercure, Novotel – are generally pretty good and offer good value. We need a place that can take the whole group – around 100 of us this year – and invariably out of town, with large car parks for our vehicles and bikes.
What about the channel crossing, which route do you use?
In the past, we’ve used the ferries, partly because they can be a good deal cheaper. But this year we used the Eurotunnel and I have to say we won’t be going back to the ferries. With a big group, there’s always so much waiting around, and it feels like a bit of a bottleneck to be squeezing through on day one.
Tips for organising a medium-scale charity ride
1 Have a local fixer with a fixed price contract.
2 Have a plan for bad weather: police can stop the ride if they issue a code Orange for poor conditions.
3 You must have transport for all your riders in the event they cannot cycle.
4 You need adequate first aid cover to deal with most situations, because an ambulance may be a while arriving on back roads.
5 Hire a satellite phone for emergencies (about £10/day).
6 Unless your group is small, a PA system is extremely useful for marshalling riders.
7 Stick to the plan: don’t delay at stops and if stages are delayed (most average 25kph), then reduce length of stops to catch up.
8 Have enough credit: be prepared for emergencies where you may suddenly need major funds.
9 Take physios: if you can organise it, a physio or two in the crew make a huge difference to first-timers and those who aren’t quite as fit as they thought they were.
10 Super-tip: learn the skills of mutual benefit. Much of what you will need to obtain for the ride is produced by companies who need publicity exposure and have things to give away. Fulfil your side of the bargain and they’ll be only too happy to help.
Richard will be blogging for Freewheeling France throughout the Cycle 2 Cannes ride, which ends in Cannes on Tuesday, March 8. If you're in France, keep an eye out for then en route. You can also follow the ride via Twitter or Facebook. You can also donate online.