Amanda trains with fellow-cyclist & fundraiser, Joby Mortimer of Licensed Trade Charity

We prepped for the ride, unloading bikes, checking tyres, switching on lights – be safe, be seen – and Joby pointed out that the chunky mountain bike tyres and heavy frame (talking bike here!) were perhaps not the best choice for a ride around the lanes of Berkshire. It’s amazing how some grippy tyres can slow you down. Never mind, it all helps with the training, and we weren’t going for speed. This was a training-and-talking ride.

I’d promised Joby some sunshine too, so when we set off from Ascot, home of Licensed Trade Charity, the biting winds did not bode well. There’s no point regretting your choices though, so it was a case of feet to the pedals, padded pants to the seat and frozen fingers to the handle bars as we set off on our 52km ride.

Heavy traffic through Ascot along with various mis-directions from me at the start made conversation impossible. But once we were on our way, we could get down the subject of training, and why Hospitality Rides means so much to Joby in his relatively new role of Director of Charity Operations for the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC).

I asked how Joby’s training has been coming along. “I’m feeling more ready now than ever before, to be honest. I’ve got a fixed bike set up next to the radiator to recreate the hot conditions we’ll be cycling in! Nothing can prepare us for the jet lag, lack of sleep plus constant packing and unpacking though. It’s relentless. Over the course of 5 days, my face gets puffier and more haggard. But I love it!”

This will be Joby’s fifth year with Hospitality Rides, so he knows what to expect. So why does he keep coming back? “It’s been a life-changing and life-affirming experience. Visiting a different country by bike is exceptional, and riding alongside a fantastic group of people who I can now call friends is very special.”

The route I had picked for this training ride was one I had downloaded from a well-known cycling app, and I noticed that the author had mentioned a pub in the title. So when we reached The Shurlock Inn, Shurlock Row, Berkshire (by Rarebreed Dining) and were by this time completely frozen, there was no debate. We had to stop to defrost. Eternal thanks to the team at The Shurlock for opening their doors early and serving us some great coffee!

The conversation continued while cupping hot coffee in our chilblained hands. “What the two charities do is amazing. OAPA gets people into work in hospitality, and once they’re working, we at LTC wrap our arms around them and help them to flourish.”

Here are some quick stats for context: Over the past 4 years Hospitality Rides has raised £1.5 million through donations. The money going to LTC funds the equivalent of 25,000 people through the helpline, or 12,500 counselling sessions.

I asked Joby who a typical LTC beneficiary would be. A few years back, the answer would have been a retired licensee, finding themselves without the resources they need to make ends meet. But now the landscape is completely different. 80% of licensees rate their mental health as poor – they spend so much time worrying about everyone else that they’re vulnerable to burn-out.

Someone contacting the LTC for help could be a CEO of a pub company needing advice and support, or a pub landlord who finds themselves without a roof over their heads. Or a person working in a bar who needs help with financial planning. There isn’t a typical person, but what the charity has noticed is that the average age has come down to 43 years – people needing their support are getting younger.

Joby expanded on the subject. “Of the estimated 1 million people in the sector, 72% have had some form of mental health challenge over the last 12 months. Anxiety is a big thing, often leading to sleep deprivation. Then problems can spiral.  Our counselling has become key to help with this.”

“Critical incidents have gone up too in recent months – we’ve had 6 lives lost in the first 3 months this year. When we get news like this, we ask ourselves what else we could have done. We need the early warning signs, awareness that we’re here to help. Just by people knowing we’re here, means we could save lives. We can mobilise our teams very quickly.”

It was easy to see what motivated Joby to get on his bike to train for this challenge. With two more weeks left before departure, I asked Joby what the rest of his training looked like, and how he was going to manage the epic 1675m climb on day 3 of the challenge. “Definitely carb-loading” he joked. “Plus a few climbs of ‘Cow Pie Pass’”. This is a Rouvy route which replicates a famous mountain climb in Vietnam. I googled it later and couldn’t find anything that sounded remotely similar. I did find reference to the Hai Van Pass, a 9.7km climb in the exact area we’ll be riding in with an average gradient of 4.7%, so I’m guessing it’s that. The name translates to ‘Pass of the High Clouds’. Joby is ready!

Bring it on!

Thank you to my sponsors

This year, I’m pleased to confirm I’m being supported by the following corporate partners:

• FastCharger
• Footprint
• E-keg
• Brown & Brown Insurance.

To discuss sponsorship opportunities please call 01638 563237. For more information visit our webpage or the Hospitality Rides website