TWO local men cycled over 900 miles from Melksham to Monaco earlier this month to raise money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
Glen Blacker and Ben Whitehouse, both from Melksham, took on the mammoth ten-day ride through France and managed to raise around £1,000 for the local air ambulance charity.
From the finish line Glen said, “It felt great to finish, considering at times we thought we wouldn’t get there, but it was surprisingly emotional once we arrived in Monaco!
“There was much tougher and steeper terrain than we expected, and having to ride into the wind on the last couple days made it extremely tough, on top of the 34C heat. We were surprised by how stunning the French countryside is. Touring through gorgeous towns and passing miles and miles of vineyards was a real treat, and the cycle between Nice and Monaco is incredible.”
The keen cyclists averaged around 100 miles per day for ten days, in a total of over 950 miles. They collected sponsorship money to donate to the lifesaving charity, which is looking to set up its new base in Semington.
Glen continued, “We’re very pleased with how the fundraising has gone. We set a target of £250 but I think the total will be around £1,000, which is fantastic. We chose Wiltshire Air Ambulance after speaking to somebody whose life was saved by them. That highlighted how important the service is and inspired me to do the ride, as the air ambulance is totally charity-funded with no government funding – every penny counts!”
The pair are still collecting sponsorship and you can donate online by searching ‘Glen Blacker’ at www.justgiving.com
