EK men are gearing up for cycle challenge

Jul 1 2009 by Shona Mitchell, East Kilbride News

THREE local men are set to embark on a 350-mile charity cycle from Prague to Berlin.

East Kilbride’s Tom Ferguson, Alan Kemlo and John Angus will be joined by their friends Bob Hossack, Mauro Masucci, Shaun McMurchy and Peter Hepburn for the huge challenge.

Last year Tom, John and Bob completed a 275-mile cycle from Gothenburg to Oslo in four days and raised a massive £10,500 for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS).

This year’s effort will again be in memory of the son of the group’s friend Melanie MacPherson – 21-month-old Jack MacPherson sadly passed away last year from Krabbe’s disease.

The men will set off from Prague on August 19 and plan to arrive in Berlin on August 24, staying in hostels along the way.

In preparation for the event, the team meet up most weekends to get in some cycling practice and often cover 100 miles in a weekend.

The team members are a wide range of ages with the youngest being 26 and the oldest now 60. Tom and Bob work together for Northern Marine Management in Clydebank and the other team members are their friends.

Having taken part in a similar challenge last year, the guys know what they have let themselves in for and have prepared themselves for what lies ahead.

Tom told the News: “Last year was a great adventure for us as we had never undertaken such an event before.

“We are all really looking forward to the cycle this year and I must admit I spend a lot of my time clock watching as I really can’t wait.

“We did raise a lot of money last year and we know the financial situation is not the same this year. However, because we have the experience of last year we are ahead of the game and hope to raise as much as we can.”

If you would like to help raise their total, you can donate online at http://www.justgiving.com/praguetoberlin/

The team will also be updating their website with news on the trip and their training process. You can read about it at http://gotto.org.uk/