Original Cottage Company cyclists in ‘silly’ challenge

Three colleagues from the Reepham-based The Original Cottage Company (TOCC) plan to cycle 1,034 miles from John O’Groats to Lands’ End to raise funds for four charities.
 

Left to right: Martin Wickham, John Willmot and James Ellis.

 
The three cyclists are starting in Scotland on Sunday 16 June, planning to finish in Cornwall on Tuesday 2 July.
 
The trio aim to raise £5,000 for Norwich Samaritans, Cancer Research UK, Epilepsy Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.
 
Sponsor them HERE
 
The 17-day journey is divided into legs of between 40 and 85 miles, averaging 61 miles per day over the whole trip.
 
They are hoping friends, colleagues and supporters will join the ride a few miles or simply cheer them on from the side-lines.
 
Other cyclists are welcome to join any of the ride’s legs or stages to help raise funds and spirits. (The three will be avoiding major roads/A roads as much as possible.)
 
The three doing the ride are:

  • James Ellis – 40 years old, father of two and business development director for TOCC, his family’s business, and he has worked in Reepham for 17 years. James used to live on Dereham Road in Reepham with his wife, Mel, until nine years ago, when they moved to Mattishall just before the birth of their first child. He has done this challenge once before, seven years ago (the other way around – uphill!) and so feels the most prepared physically – but also scared as he knows what is ahead of them.
  • John Willmot – 40 years old, lives in South Norfolk with wife Lizzie and three young children. John is TOCC’s chief operating officer, having joined the business from PwC in Norwich six years ago. John didn’t own a bike until three months ago and had never really cycled further than the local shop, so has been on a steep learning curve. He is most worried about the hills, having never cycled anywhere other than good old flat Norfolk.
  • Martin Wickham – 49 years old, lives in Themelthorpe with wife Michelle and two children, who are both at Reepham High School. Martin is TOCC’s sales director and has been with the company for 10 years. He started in Devon and moved to Norfolk with his family to join the board of directors and take up a wider role in the business six years ago. Martin also didn’t own a bike until three months ago, is a big Norwich City fan and enjoys cooking as well as vegetable gardening and keeps pigs and chickens.

 
They will also be updating their BLOG as they go.
 

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