Team Ascend Triumph in Charity Bike Ride to Amsterdam!

On the weekend of the 21^st-23^rd of June, four plucky Ascend team members set off from Great Baddow in Essex to cycle 140 miles to Amsterdam in a challenging 3-day bike ride to raise money for Essex charity, Kids Inspire.

Freddie, Max, Ollie and Eddie got on their bikes and successfully completed the three-day route, arriving in Amsterdam tired but happy on the Sunday afternoon!

They raised a fantastic £5097 for Kids Inspire, a remarkable local charity dedicated to helping children overcome mental health challenges and trauma. Kids Inspire offers essential support and guidance, empowering young people to regain confidence and resilience, and Ascend’s intrepid cycling team is proud to have raised so much money for this wonderful charity.

We talked to the team about their experience cycling from Essex to Amsterdam:

How did you all enjoy the ride for Kids Inspire?

Freddie: The bike ride was a lot of fun and something I never thought I would do, and I loved exploring a new city once we crossed the line in Amsterdam. The best part of the experience was the 2nd day, in the Netherlands, when the whole ride was flat, with zero hills, as on the afternoon of the first day there were some pretty brutal hills which took a toll on everybody that rode. When we finally crossed the finishing line, I felt such a sense of relief and happiness that it was over, and I had completed it – I think we all did!

Eddie: It was tough, but enjoyable, and it was fun to promote our journey via social media along the way! The relief of making it to our destination on the first day - 74 miles, and the biggest single ride I’d ever done – was immense; it felt like a big achievement. Downsides? There was one awful hill that went on forever and ever, and I got painful cramp in my thigh at lunch on the second day which had me struggling. But I felt so good knowing we had completed the ride and in doing so had raised a lot of money for a worthy cause.

Max: Barring the early morning departures, I enjoyed it a lot. The best part was riding alongside the Amsterdam canals in the sun on the final day. I felt so relieved and proud to have reached the finish line.

Ollie: I enjoyed the whole ride more than I thought I would and felt extremely proud of myself. The second day was the better day when we got to the Netherlands, and I think the best part of all was riding the last couple of miles knowing we were about to complete the challenge. The toughest element was the hills in the first leg: over 3000ft of elevation from Chelmsford to Harwich was very tough - great coming down the hill, not so much going up!

How did you stay motivated?

Freddie: The whole time during the cycle I listened to music in one ear which helped me from getting bored whilst riding for long periods of time.

Eddie: The pub stops helped! But riding with my friends really spurred me on.

Max: Good upbeat music!

Ollie: I didn't need much motivation as I was enjoying it so much, apart from that last section of the first day when it was very hilly, and I was shattered.

Were there any funny stories en route? Anything particularly memorable?

Freddie: Well, I think it was Eddie winning the ‘most dramatic’ award – for his moaning about his cramp!

Max: I’ll second that: Eddie’s ‘certificate’ for moaning and injury! Also, Ollie forgetting to unclip his shoes and falling off at a traffic light.

Eddie: Ollie falling off his bike was one - and being awoken at 5am on the ferry after a long day was horrific. I was tempted to sleep through, but the Beach Boys kept being blasted through the cabins and we couldn’t turn it off.

Ollie: Yes, I did fall off my bike! We got to some traffic lights that turned red, I had to slam the brakes on which distracted me from the fact I had clip-in shoes, and I fell slow-motion onto a Dutchman.

Would you have any tips for anyone else undertaking such a cycle?

Freddie: Make sure you do enough practice rides that include long steep hills otherwise you may struggle.

Max: Bring lots of chamois cream.

Ollie: Train! And train early! Don't do what I did and start training three weeks before.

Eddie: Train hard and don’t do one 5-mile bike ride like I did!

Huge congratulations to Freddie, Ollie, Max and Eddie for their sterling efforts on the Essex to Amsterdam bike ride and for raising over £5000 for Kids Inspire!

Donations are still being gratefully received on Team Ascend’s Just Giving page! Please follow the link here if you would like to donate to this fantastic charity.