EDM’s Lee Whittaker beats weather conditions to finish charity cycle race

12 August 2014

Congratulations to Lee Whittaker and 20,000 other cyclists who defied extreme weather conditions to finish the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 in central London on Sunday 10^th August 2014 in what was the biggest cycling sportive event to be held in the UK.

Lee was on his bike once again to represent EDM and raise money for Macmillan, the cancer support charity which EDM signed up to support as a corporate partner earlier this year.

The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 featured the route made famous by the London 2012 Olympic Road Race. Starting early in the new Queen Elizabeth Park, the race ran along the closed roads of London and then went into Surrey. The event organisers were forced to cut out the Surrey climbs of Box Hill and Leith Hill on the morning of the race due to the potentially dangerous descents under conditions of torrential rain, lightening and surface water.

After four and a half hours of intense pedalling, Lee crossed the finish line at The Mall in central London.

Lee said:

“This was definitely my toughest cycling challenge so far in support of Macmillan because of the awful weather conditions but it was great to see all of the participants dig deep to get through the gruelling race. For me, it was a great opportunity to cycle the route made famous by the world’s best cyclists at the London 2012 Olympics and to do this whilst trying to raise awareness and sponsorship for such a worthwhile cause.”

Chris Boardman, the former Olympic track cycling champion and Tour de France rider, also took part in the event as did a trio of the greatest women cyclists in the world that is, Laura Trott, Marianne Vos and Dame Sarah Storey.

A second race then took place on a similar route afterwards in which 150 professional cyclists raced in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic and included Sir Bradley Wiggins.

EDM became associated with Macmillan Cancer Support in February 2014 and as a corporate partner has committed a business donation to help fund Macmillan’s services. EDM hopes to get further behind Macmillan by encouraging staff to participate in fundraising activities and raising awareness for campaigns. To date, Lee has also participated closer to home in the 52-mile Great Manchester cycle earlier in the Summer.

Macmillan is the largest cancer care and support charity in the UK and works to improve the lives of people affected by cancer, both those living with cancer and also their families and carers.  The charity works as a vital source of support, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support as well as raising awareness and working to improve cancer care.

For further information about Macmillan and its work please visit http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx.