I've been working on the King's Cross project for over 5 years now and first learned about Cycle to Mapic when I was asked to help design the riders jersey back in 2016. I was then a new and part-time rider, somewhat reluctant to embrace it fully, someone who rode a Brompton 5 miles a day during my commute and whose idea of exercise was a round of golf or a 5km plod along the canal. Since then many of my Argent colleagues have inspired me to get into cycling and don the lycra - they are quite obsessed but passionate and their influence has certainly immersed me. This year I was delighted to get the opportunity to Ride to Mapic in our final year as headline sponsor, to ride with those who inspired me, those who I've not yet met, but look forward to making friends on and off the bike with and of course supporting a very deserving charity - Coram. So a little about the ride, it begins on the 10th November in Girona, where the Pyrenees meets the Mediterranean (sounds lovely doesn't it) and we cross from Spain into France finishing in the Riviera of Cannes on the 14th, and in between this beauty is where the suffering happens, 700km, 6000m (that's higher than Kilimanjaro) over 4 back to back days in the saddle. However ... "Real heroes are others, those who have suffered in their soul, in their heart, in their spirit, in their mind, for their loved ones. Those are the real heroes. I'm just a cyclist." Gino Bartoli With that in mind PLEASE SUPPORT CORAM, and help them continue to give more children the bright futures they deserve. Coram are the UK's oldest children charity and the need for their services have never been greater. The number of children being taken into care, or already in care is at an all-time high. Many of these children will have experienced neglect and abuse, with complex emotional needs. At this time there are twice as many children waiting for adoption than there are adopters and facing a lifetime in care. The work Coram does in family finding and adoption is crucial for supporting these vulnerable children. The process of adoption provides the opportunity for children who have been removed from their birth family to become part of a stable, safe and permanent family environment for life. Coram achieves high success rates for adoption, last year our services were influential in 11% of adoptions across England, by far the greatest impact of any agency. Thank you