Here Cawleys' Director of Sales and Resource, Tony Goodman, talks about why he feels passionate about the Extra Mile Challenge...

This will be my fifth “Extra Mile Challenge” but I haven’t done the ride since 2009.  It felt right to do it again this year as it’s the 10th anniversary since the death of our colleague Gary. This feels a great way to remember him and to do some good work raising money for charity in his name.

I love cycling and have spent a huge amount of time on bikes. The last time I did the “Extra Mile Challenge” was at a time when I was out on my bike all the time.

Stamina and fitness

I’ve still got all my kit – some great bikes which were new then like my Willier which is still really good bike and the one I’ll be taking to France for this ride.  The thing is, the kit and bikes haven’t changed that much since 2009 but I have!

When I last rode in the Challenge back in 2009 I was super fit and did 30-mile rides without even thinking about it. With the Extra Mile Challenge each person on the team cycles 50 miles in a day, so you need to have stamina and fitness,

To get ready for the ride, there’s no substitute for spending time in the saddle, so I’m getting a couple of twenty-mile rides in a week, and at the weekend trying to do some thirty-mile stints.

Adrenalin keeps you going

I go to the gym, and mainly use the cross trainer and the bike, as it’s the legs and the cardio vascular training you need, to build strength and energy.  You need a reasonable amount of stamina to enjoy the Challenge.  Day one the adrenalin keeps you going, days two and three – they’re much tougher!

The Extra Mile Challenge is all about raising money for charity, while also having a great time. It’s really important for us to always think positively and have fun, even while we acknowledge the sad or difficult things in the world, like the loss of Gary.

Supporting the CHUMS Charity

Gary was on our team in the Extra Mile Challenge in 2006 and died of a heart attack while we were on that ride.  His young family was supported at the time by CHUMS, the charity supporting emotional well-being in children, especially following a bereavement. This is the charity we’ll be supporting this year.

Camaraderie and team work

The route this year is around Brittany in France.  We did it one year in Alsace – that was seriously hilly! This year I think the route will be more steady – rather than elevation, it’ll be about longevity.  Most of all, the trip is all about camaraderie and team work – great Cawleys' qualities!

Our team from Cawleys this year is me, Dave Buckingham, Phil Gudgeon and a friend of his called Andrew Ayears, who works with one of our vehicle supplier & maintenance partners, Truck East.  Phil’s a big man, he’s going to be fine on the downhill stretches but he’ll need to get into training soon. I look forward to reading about his training programme in this blog post next!

If you’d like to sponsor me please get in touch, email me on tony.goodman@cawleys.co.uk or visit our JustGiving page.