London to Brighton …

On an early Sunday morning in June, the James Pendleton Estate Agents and Live to Give Charity team awoke to the sound of bells. Not the usual Church bells but the ones of thirty thousand cyclists all gathering on Clapham Common SW4, to proudly take part in the fifty six mile county lane cycle hike from London to Brighton.

Ten members of the James Pendleton team gathered with spirit and energy for what seemed like a leisurely cycle down to the seaside. Two hours from the start and the team had struggled to get out of London due to the sheer number of enthusiastic cyclists taking part.

Once into the countryside we were well on our way or so we thought! Our first casualty was glamorous Sonja who was literally squeezed off her bike by another over keen rider needing a little more space. After a polo mint and a plaster from the St John’s Ambulance she was back on board.

Twenty five miles in and we all stopped for a well earned pit-stop and a few small encouragement drinks, (for energy purposes of course). Energy bars, drinks and one too many visits to the Hog Roast at the Dog & Duck did not quite prepare us for Beacon Hill, which is a misleading…..it’s not a hill, it’s a mountain! After 43 miles a 1.6 mile hill/mountain climb is not an overly pleasing prospect. But with true grit and determination we all made it to the summit.

Just over an hour later and the sea was in sight. The crowds and the cheers at the finish line made it all worthwhile and we even managed to forget about our stiff knees and sore bottoms.

The whole day was an amazing event and we are proud to say we have raised over £2,000 for the James Pendleton Live to Give 2011 Charity supporting Trinity Hospice, Perthes Association and Action for Children.

I would personally like to thank Lucy, Sonja, Chris, Matt (Coreco Mortgages), Mark (our Bambi), Mark B, Banksy, Maxi G, Max P and our support team Kelly and Craig.

See you all next year…….

Lee James Pendleton

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