Charity cycle ride from Canterbury to Rome for BEN

Paul Barrett, Managing Director of Barretts of Canterbury Ltd, the Kent based car dealer group, was amongst 27 cyclists who recently pedalled more than 1,200 miles from Canterbury to Rome in aid of Charity. The fundraisers together raised more than £100,000 which will be shared with the Save the Canterbury Cathedral Appeal and personal charities chosen by each cyclist, including BEN, the Automotive Industry Charity. Paul Barrett has chosen BEN, a cause he has supported both personally and professionally for a number of years.

The ride was a journey of 2000Km and included a passage over the Grand St Bernard Pass, in the Western Alps, where it is not uncommon to have snow even in the middle of August.

On returning from this 17 day expedition, Paul Barrett commented, “The idea started nearly a year ago with some friends over a drink. The biggest challenge for us was the high temperature reached in Italy of over 40 degrees. On most days we covered an 80 mile route with only one day of rest at the halfway point.
Each cyclist put in at least 100 hours of training covering 1000 miles in preparation which is equivalent to the team cycling at least once around the world.”

This cycle ride followed the Via Francigena (the Frankish Way), which is an ancient pilgrimage route recorded by Sigeric in 990AD when he travelled to and from Rome on his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury.