Bayer employees complete Newbury to Paris bike ride

By completing the trip, the team of amateur cyclists have so far managed to raise £22,500 for Naomi House and Jacksplace – two local hospices for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions – and the money is still rolling in.

After making the last-minute checks to their bikes, the cyclists pedalled away at 10.15am on the Thursday morning and were cheered off by hundreds of their co-workers.

Then they cycled to Portsmouth, took the overnight ferry and spent the following two days making their way to the French capital.

The team arrived unscathed on Saturday night and stopped for a well-deserved glass of champagne underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Bayer’s head of general medicine, Marion McPherson, who came up with the idea and also took part in the event, said: “It was real teamwork. We learnt a lot a about ourselves during that ride. “We learnt that if you really set your mind to something, and if you step out of your comfort zone – and everyone did, even the experienced cyclists – you can achieve what you set out to do. “It was the thought that we were helping other people at Naomi House that kept us going.”

Louise Sharp, a sales manager for Bayer’s women’s health division, said: “My survival strategy to stay focused on Saturday night in Paris worked and I’m not sure there was a better tasting glass of champagne than that under the Eiffel Tower.“

"Day three was surprisingly my best day, as my confidence grew and realised I would probably make it to Paris, without falling off my bike – and I did.

“Despite thinking at times on the ride that I would never do this again, because of strong winds, and racing traffic, now I’m home all I can think about was the fun and the friends I made along the way, not to mention what we achieved as a team and the funds raised.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/newbury2paris.