marsdenandbowring

Paul says…..

I have worked for Barclays since leaving school in 1978. Always a keen sportsman I had a go at most things in my teens, settling on volleyball when I left school with the highlight playing for Poole in Division 1 of the English National League. Having had a long standing friendship with Hugh the suggestion was that I take up cycling now that my volleyball days are behind me. 

Always looking for a challenge and having lost my mother to cancer 22 years ago I made a throw away comment to Hugh about cycling to Spain and the rest is history and we are now well advanced in training and preparation.

Hugh says……..

I lost my mother to cancer ten years ago and want to mark the anniversary of her passing undertaking a challenge that does justice to her memory and in a country that she loved. I have inherited my mother’s love of sport and of challenges generally, having achieved a high standard in many of the sports I’ve taken part in. These include tennis, squash, table tennis surfing, karate and more recently, kayaking and power kiting. Oh, yes and cycling! Mountainbiking has been my main sport and hobby for 18 years and its taken me all over the UK for many competitions including 9 of the notorious Polaris Challenge events. I crashed badly in July 2006 putting myself in hospital for 4 days and my family through unwelcome stress. So I’ve toned down the mountainbiking a bit now & have discovered the delights of road bikes and tarmac.