From 7th – 15th September, members of the global K2 Team will be jumping on their bikes and peddling from Land’s End to John o’Groats to raise money for the K2 Foundation.
Following on from the initial ‘Meet the Riders’ interviews, we caught up with The K2 Kinetic Cruisers, K2’s Ride Across Britain team, earlier this month to get an update on the progress of their training programme, and find out how all the team members are feeling about the epic challenge they’re preparing to undertake, as the event date creeps closer.
Ride Across Britain will see K2’s Executive Business Director, Richard Rutledge, Billing Coordinator, Luke Charter, and Group Billing Team Lead, Stuart McCully, cycling over 100 miles a day for nine days, as they make the 980-mile journey from Land’s End to John o’Groats to raise money for the K2 Foundation.
First up we heard from Richard & Luke, as they spoke about the miles they’ve been clocking up over the course of many training rides, both together, and independently, taking advantage of their proximity to the Surrey Hills.
Not being in the same location as his teammates, Stuart, who is currently based in Houston, has had to find other training partners, and K2 Americas Managing Director, Phil Hunt, who is also a keen cyclist, has proved to be a good companion for practice rides.
In an in-gym pow wow with K2 USA Client Account Manager, Christine Burton, Stuart talks about the challenges that the local landscape and climate pose to his training, and the inspired solution he came up with to overcome these barriers.
At the point of these most recent check-ins, there was a month to go until the main event.
In the weeks that have followed since then, more training rides have been completed, kit lists have been purchased and pre- and post-ride travel logistics sewn up.
Now, as we approach the seven day countdown, there isn’t too much more for The K2 Kinetic Cruisers to do but try and get in the zone, mentally prepare to pedal their hearts out, and hopefully enjoy the ride.
The team name, The K2 Kinetic Cruisers, was suggested by members of our global team, and is a nod to our KINETIC business plan, the five-year business strategy launched in 2022 to help us achieve our operational goals. We hope that the team will be propelled forward by the aim of raising funds for the K2 Foundation, as they make the journey through England and Scotland towards their final destination.
The aim of the K2 Foundation is to improve the lives of children and young adults within the regions where K2 operates, primarily by funding projects or supporting charities that focus on the areas of education, health and wellbeing. Since the K2 Foundation was set up in 2023, its priority project has been rebuilding a school in a São Paulo favela. This project is now nearing completion, but the school will require ongoing support to keep it operational and well maintained.
We will be sharing updates on the team’s progress across our social channels throughout the ride.
Make sure you’re following us on LinkedIn for all the latest Ride Across Britain news. To show your support for The K2 Kinetic Cruisers and the K2 Foundation, sponsor the team via their JustGiving page.
