A trio of Inverness businessmen will take on a Tour de France mountain stage in an attempt to raise thousands of pounds for a national children’s cancer charity.
Colin MacLeod, customer training officer at Highland Office Equipment in the city’s Harbour Road, part of the Capital Document Solutions business, is planning to complete one of the notoriously difficult Alpine legs.
He will be joined by Chris Barnett, owner of Roy Homes Ltd, and David MacDonald, director at Global Infrastructure, for the gruelling cycle challenge.
All money raised will go to the national charity Children with Cancer. The Auld Alliance team, which has already secured around £1,000 in donations, is hoping to raise in excess of £2,250.
In 2014, the trio were part of a larger Auld Alliance group which raised more than £30,000 on behalf of the Special Care Baby Unit at Raigmore Hospital, Highland Hospice and Prostate Cancer UK following a 10-day cycle challenge which covered 1,000 miles.
Sunday’s event will involve the group, along with an expected 15,000 amateur cyclists, covering 85.7miles while climbing an altitude of 16,500 ft.
The Tour de France is set to cycle the same route a few days later – the 19th stage of the competition – between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and the La Toussuire-Les Sybelles resort town.
The race includes significant climbs at the Chaussy, the Croix de Fer, by Glandon, and the Mollard Passes, and the final climb towards La Toussuire-Les Sybelles.
Mr MacLeod said: “It promises to be an extremely demanding physical challenge but one that we’re thoroughly looking forward to. The altitude in particular will be a tough ask but we have been training in and around Inverness for several months now and hopefully the city’s many hills will stand us in good stead.
“We’re also delighted to be raising money for Children with Cancer and can hopefully go some way towards supporting the charity continue its fine work.”
Donations are being accepted at the team’s Virgin Money Giving page at
http://bit.ly/1HoUadL
with proceeds going to charity.
Children with Cancer UK is a leading national children’s charity dedicated to the fight against all childhood cancers. For more information visit www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk