From September 6-8, a 13-strong team of spirited and brave MarkLogic employees will dust the cobwebs off their bikes and take to the road for an epic 200-mile (320km) trip from London to Paris in aid of charity.
The team, mostly based in the London office with two joining from the US, will be ably supported by UK colleagues Harriet Hughes and Ranjit Mudher, who will be driving the support van and helping to keep spirits high!
The charities the team are raising money for include Demelza Hospice Care for Children, which provides care for children and young people with terminal illnesses, as well as Autism Speaks, the Allied Forces Foundation, Thrombosis UK and Maggie’s.
A strict training regime has been followed (mostly) for the last few months, all in preparation of the journey beginning on Thursday, September 6th. This will see the team set off from MarkLogic’s London office and cycle 60+ miles to Newhaven to catch the ferry and cross the Channel, before arriving in Dieppe on the Normandy coast of northern France at dusk.
Day two will be the most grueling leg of the journey, an approx. 75-mile ride from Dieppe to Chaumont-en-Vexin along the Avenue Verte. On the third and final day, the team will reach the MarkLogic Paris office by mid-afternoon, having cycled a further 60+ miles. At which point the celebrations with French colleagues there to greet the team will begin – hopefully with a space set aside in the office for those with weary legs to put their feet up and have a well-earned rest!
“This will be a very tough challenge but one that we’re all looking forward to, admittedly with a little trepidation! However, what is most important is that this ride is all in honour of raising money for several fantastic charities and very worthwhile causes. On behalf of the whole team, I’d like to thank everyone who has donated so far, and we hope that people continue to do so and we raise as much money as possible.”
Roger Lee, Event organizer
Senior Director of Sales Engineering
The UK team members are aiming to raise £6,000 and US colleagues have a target of $2,000. To donate to the charities MarkLogic is supporting please visit:
To stay up-to-date with the progress of the team and the latest developments, keep an eye on the MarkLogic blog, Facebook and Twitter.
David Northmore
David joined MarkLogic in 2012 to run the UK business and his role is now Area Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He’s worked in the Enterprise Data space for over 20 years, holding senior roles at HP, CA, EMC and Documentum. He’s worked with customers across most industries, in particular Financial Services, the Legal Sector, Publishing & Media. David holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Bath University.