Over the years I've been fortunate enough to work with some amazing people that have humored me and agreed to participate in some bonkers cycle challenges for charitable causes. Whilst at East Midlands Trains we cycled from London to Paris (twice), St Pancras (London) to Sint Pancras (Holland), Edinburgh to London, Derby to Portsmouth, London to Brussels via Amsterdam, and Five countries in three days (England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany).

On moving to West Midlands trains we added some new blood to the mix and cycled the iconic Coast2Coast ride from Whitehaven to Whitley Bay in 2022, and last year another London2Paris ride, this time via Portsmouth, Caen and the wonderful Normandy countryside. The crux is in total we have raised well in excess of £100k for worthy causes including Railway Children, Samaritans, the Railway Benefit Fund and Birmingham Children's Hospital - in fact those last two rides alone alone raised over £36k thanks to some amazing corporate sponsorship and personal generosity ❣

This year we couldn't make up our mind as to whether we should cycle from London to Brussels or Waterloo (England) to Waterloo (Belgium)... so we combined the two! It is going to be a fun filled three days with eleven of us riding through three countries with a great support crew looking after us. Day one will see us ride from Waterloo to Harwich, then overnight on the ferry to Hook of Holland, before a sleep deprived ride on day two that will see us arrive in Antwerp. Finally, on day three we will head to Waterloo for a photo stop and then onto Brussels.

Riders this year are me, Martin Ward (no relation), Paul Williams, Steve Fisher, Anthony Miles, Michael Stokes, Chris Reid, Chris Rothwell, Nick Westcott, Ange Steward and Sam Alexander. Tam Giez, Sam Rayment, Marion Rayment and Gary Mullins-Downes will be our awesome support team, with vans and Team jerseys sponsored by West Midlands Trains for the third year running 👏👏👏

Having loved our relationship with Birmingham Children's Hospital they will once again be our principal charity, and the one I will be raising funds for via this page. Your support will empower them to take innovative approaches to treating some of the sickest children in the UK. Your donations enable them to make the hospital feel just like home, whilst helping them to find new ways to treat and cure childhood diseases.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanking you in advance for clicking on the link, if only to see what we are up to and keep abreast of the pictures and updates that will be added to the team page as we progress with our training and special events. Any kind donations are a welcome bonus for which I am truly thankful 🥰

Wish us luck!

Darren JW