We’d like to update you on the 2.6 V-Sprint Challenge on April 26th, where members set out to raise funds for Primrose Hospital.

To really understand what was achieved, you should first know the history of how this event came about…..

Following an excellent response to a request for donations, to provide Video Link Tablets to local NHS hospitals for COVID patients, we were able to provide double the amount of tablets we originally envisaged. We felt the response was so strong that we should see what else could be achieved. This time for a smaller community charity, who were suffering funding issues as they could no longer hold fund raising events.

With the support of Primrose Hospice we took hold of the 2.6 theme from the London Marathon initiative. With everything focusing on 2.6 or 26. we asked for 26 riders to ride for 26 hours, to cover 2600 virtual Kilometres.

We then had to set up a fund raising target…. Well £260 was out of the question, way too low, but £2600 was an equally wild and inappropriate figure at the other end of the scale. Our members had already donated £600 to the NHS, would they show that generosity (and more) again…?, with furlough would they have the funds…? No matter which way we looked at it we could not get 2.6 in to our fundraising target any other way, so £2600 was set. It would be a tough ask.

Primrose Hospice were investing extra resource in to bereavement counselling at a cost of £500 per week, £2600 would be 5 weeks cover, but who were we kidding, Privately we thought reality was 2, maybe 3 weeks funding was possible and even if we didn’t meet our target members would get behind the fundraising as much as they could.

HOW WRONG COULD WE HAVE BEEN!!!

With less than 7 days to drum up interest, with no ability to put ourselves in a public place, we relied on our own social network and the ability of Sally from Primrose hospice to promote the event. We hadn’t even started and we had passed our £1500 ‘Reality’ estimate, then some interest from internet news channels, with viewer comments from South Africa and Australia.. may be this could work, we might just hit £2600…..

HOW WRONG COULD WE HAVE BEEN!!!

An offer came in from Paul wood, change it to 2600 miles instead of Kilometres, and there would be a £1000 donation, so we would hit the £2600. Do we change the target to £4000….? After some deliberation ‘NO’. We had hit our target, why be greedy? Why set a new target only to fail?

HOW WRONG COULD WE HAVE BEEN!!!

£2,600 then £4,000 then £8,000, this wasn’t just ‘tapping it out’, we were in full ‘lead out’ mode, getting ready for the sprint finish. As we stand today, YOU have raised over £11,000 for Primrose Hospice, (with gift aid, £13,500).

26 riders rode as individuals in garages, conservatories or bedrooms, with all of V-Sprint promoting, donating and supporting the event. Individually we are good, together we are a formidable team, especially when we do what we all do best … making sure we look after everyone, so that no one gets left behind.

To quote Geraint Thomas “Everyone in the world of cycling knows how much it is a team sport as well as individual. It’s just amazing to be a part of.”