Cuban Challenge

This weekend is a huge milestone in Ashbourne Insurance’s fundraising history, as our Finance Director Sarah Smits “gets on her bike” and cycles a massive 350km for charity raising a whopping £5,000.

For those of you who do not know, Teens Unite Fighting Cancer are Ashbourne Insurance’s Charity of the Year 2015. Co-founded in 2007 by Karen Millen OBE and Debbie Pezzani, the multi-award winning charity evolved from a passion for supporting teenagers diagnosed with cancer.

Whilst the Ashbourne team have been busy throughout the year raising much-needed funds for this worthwhile local cause, our Finance Director was inspired to join their Cuban Challenge and go one (huge) step further and take on the challenge of a lifetime.

So, on the 17th of October, the brave team of 16 cyclists will be heading to the Caribbean Island of Cuba and are scheduled to travel a total distance of 350km in just five days. From the first day through to the fifth, the distances to be covered are 45km, 67km, 67km, 77km and 85km respectively.

Sarah will not be alone on her quest of cycling across Cuba. She is joined by sixteen intrepid local supporters who together have raised a total of £47,000 including local businesswomen Cathy Prested from Funky Casinos, Lia Parkinson from The Office on the Net and Teens Unite’s own CEO, Debbie Pezzani

They’ve been training hard to successfully cycle in the salsa dancing capital of the world. They’re set to cycle through the Bay of Pigs and up into the Escambray Mountains through Hanabanilla, Trinidad. The charity bike ride will then proceed through Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clare and Jibacoa before returning to Havana.

The daily temperature is expected to be an average of 30 degrees and the team is fully prepared to complete the mission.

In the words of Andrew Pike: “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” The team are spurred by this thought and everyone at Ashbourne Insurance wishes them the very best of luck.

Good luck Team Cuba!