Hi all,

Thank you so much for your donation and good luck messages.  Your support means the world to me.  Here is how the day unfolded. 

Bright and early last Friday morning, Simon, our tax peloton leader, was already jumping up and down and in his usual energetic ‘raring to go, can’t wait to start, let’s do it’ mode.  We were one of the 1st team at the start line and there was buzz and excitement around the iconic Olympics Park velodrome.

We left the hustle and bustle of the city behind and were soon filling the beautiful countryside of Essex with a wave of Barclays blue.  Even the sun came out dancing through the fields.  For some of us, there were at times difficult moments pushing personal boundaries but that makes crossing the finish line all the sweeter.  And we all made it. 

As I was chilling out with the Grim Team inside the velodrome over a massage and a beer, I could not help but marvelling at its beauty, the place where history has been made and where Chris Hoy was around earlier that morning to coach a new generation of cyclists.  We did not make history, but we hope we would make a small difference to the lives of young people in our community. 

On a personal note, there was no better way to mark my first 3 months at Barclays than being part of the Grim Team, getting to know and riding alongside hundreds of other colleagues through rain and sun, and sharing stories of what this journey means to us.

With lots of love,

Mai