As Graeme Watt prepares to embark on his charity bike ride, the industry has been invited to follow his progress in real time.
The Softcat Chairman and a group of friends are seeking to raise £250,000 through their 12-day calf-burner, which kicks off from Lands End on Monday.
They will pedal through Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, before taking in the sights of the West Midlands, Manchester and the North West, the Lake District and Scotland.
Termed ‘The Big One’, their quest will conclude in John O’Groats on 5 July.
Watt’s progress can be followed here, as well as on either of his JustGiving pages (see here and here), which are now linked to Strava.
Watt previously laid out his rationale for the ride, saying he and his teammates felt they had “at least one more challenge left in us”.
The choice of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) as lead charity partner was inspired by the loss of Watt’s former colleague and mentor Paul Cook.
HP (whose UK MD Neil Sawyer is pictured with Watt above) has committed to sponsoring a stage of the 1,550km ride, alongside Dell. TD Synnex are also a Platinum sponsor.
The core team of six core riders also includes Ben Gower, the Founder and CEO of Microsoft partner Perspicuity.
Despite Watt’s Softcat connections, the ride is something he is organising in a personal capacity.
Talking to IT Channel Oxygen ahead of the ride, Watt said he felt nervous but excited, adding that he and his teammates are now “tapering” (the technical term for a period of rest or reduced training immediately preceding a race) ahead of the big day.
