Update: 1st July 2012

On Sunday July 1st, 12 intrepid Enotria staff and some very generous friends assembled in Walpole Park, Ealing, West London, with their push bikes polished and finely tuned.
Our objective : Oxpens Meadow, Oxford, some 60 miles away. Weather: windy, sunshine and showers. But mainly windy.

So off we set, through the West London suburbs of Hanwell, Hillingdon and Harmondsworth. Not much scenery there. But cross the M25 and suddenly the roadsides are leafy and the smells much more pastoral. Through Iver and Burnham Beeches, over the river at Cookham, and things getting more and more picturesque.

Past Taplow and the hills started to get challenging. One pretty big one followed by a much bigger one. I said to fellow riders at the next refreshment stop, "Well guys I think we're pretty much through the Chilterns, so should be downhill from now on." Little did I know that the straight road to Christmas Common was straight - up! About a mile or maybe more of ridiculously steep, sweat inducing track. Once to the top, vertiginous descent into Watlington. We'd done the worst. But we still had 18 miles into the wind to reach Oxford.

The approach to Oxford isn't, to be honest, the highlight of the journey. Cowley interchange could never be described as one of its highlights. But the fact that we're almost there is enough. We toil the last two miles to collapse in a heap at the end of the ride.

We raised over £3,600 for our company charity, Taylan's Project. A huge 'bravo' to Ruth and Alex, Mark, Sergio, Danyel, Andy, Daniela (and her dad Alberto), Claire, Tim, Robert, Igor, Anna and our friends Andrea Cecchi and Bob. Brilliant effort!

Why we took part in the Challenge?

Enotria have chosen Taylan's Project / Brain Tumour Research as their chosen charity of the year for 2012, to help raise vital funds for this devastating and under-funded illness.

Taylan was the son of Andy Rawlinson, who works in the Off Trade Team at Enotria. Taylan developed a brain tumour and tragically died aged just 7 in August 2009. Andy and his wife Figen continue to work tirelessly since Taylan's passing, to raise awareness for this relatively unknown but extremely dangerous form of cancer. Taylan’s Project is an umbrella group part of Brain Tumour Research and focus on funding vital scientific and laboratory-based research to improve the quality of life for brain tumour sufferers and to aid the search for better treatments, with better outcomes. They also want to raise the national awareness of this devastating illness and their ultimate ambition is to help find a cure.

Brain tumour research receives less than 1% of national cancer research spending in the UK yet this devastating disease kills more children and people under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Please visit the website www.taylansproject.com to find out more.

Cycle Team Enotria is made up of 13 members and we have decided to ride 60 miles from London to Oxford on Sunday 1st July. This challenge is part of our continued fundraising efforts for Taylan's Project during 2012. The 60 mile route rises steadily as it leaves London behind and crosses the Thames.

The team members are: Ben Smith, Claire Brown, Robert Price, Daniel Hart, Daniela Scarampi, Edgar Bettridge, Ruth Ford, Anna Hopkins, Tim Beckett, Igor Vieyra, Sergio De Luca, Mark Leacy and Alex Pooley.

Enotria retains its popular policy of matching employees' charitable fundraising efforts, up to £250 each. With 12 staff taking part in this ride, this by itself could lead to the company contributing as much as £3,000 so please dig deep!