Corporate cyclists tackle Yorkshire Classic
MORE than 170 cyclists took part in the Yorkshire Classic yesterday – a gruelling 69 mile pursuit around the Dales to support SportsAid.
The event, organised by law firm Lupton Fawcett Denison Till, which is supporting Welcome to Yorkshire and the Grand Départ, started at Ilkley Rugby Club, headed into the Dales where it picked up the official Tour de France route and, following lunch in Kettlewell, headed back to the rugby club along the River Wharfe.
The time for each team – 44 teams of four took part – was recorded via a chip system and the fastest team was Entrepreneurial Lawyers, which included Chrissie Lightfoot, Mark Ambler and Mark Gaftarnick, who were presented with a trophy by local Yorkshire hero Brian Robinson, the first British winner of a stage of a Tour de France in 1958.
The fastest individual time of four hours, 44 minutes and 26 seconds was set by Nick Cotton from Nonnas.
Chairman of Lupton Fawcett Denison Till, Kevin Emsley, said: “We were taken aback that so many companies wanted to take part. It was a magnificent turn out to help raise money for SportsAid, which funds rising sports stars, helping them achieve their ambitions to be the best in the world.
“We are particularly pleased to have Alfie Moses here from Keighley who, at 16 years old, is currently ranked third in the UK in youth cyclo-cross. We all wish him best of luck for the future and we will be watching his career with interest.
“It was a fantastic achievement by all the teams but congratulations go to Entrepreneurial Lawyers. They have obviously worked hard on their fitness and can now claim to be the fastest corporate team on two wheels in the area. I would also like to thank Northgate Vehicle hire for providing the support vehicles to ensure that everyone returned to base safely.”
SportsAid is a national charity supporting young British sportsmen and women who aspire to be our next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and world champions. Each year it supports around 2000 emerging athletes across the UK and has now invested around £50m into British sport since 1976.
Speaking on behalf of SportsAid, Jo Addie, regional fundraising and development manager, said: “We are delighted that the Yorkshire Challenge cycling event has been such a success. It was great to see so many teams turning out to support up and coming athletes in the region. Events such as this help us to support even more young athletes, helping them with costs such as training, competition fees and travel.”
