Sponsors get behind Trust bike ride

BGC Partners is to be the headline sponsor of the Headingley to Lord’s charity bike ride, which is due to take place between 14-17 October in aid of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.

The agreement sees the global financial services company donate to the Trust in return for six places on the four-day event, which will see riders push themselves to their physical limit to raise money and support the Trust’s life-changing work.

With BGC Partners as lead sponsor, nationwide bicycle retailer Halford’s has also agreed to support the event by providing technical support to riders as they complete their 250-mile journey.

Performance cycling apparel provider Le Col has also signed on as the official kit supplier for the ride, completing the official list of sponsors for the Trust’s biggest fundraising challenge of 2021.

Originally scheduled to run from Paris to London, official government Covid-19 guidelines have meant that the ride will now approach the UK’s capital from the north rather than the south.

However, participants will still cover approximately the same distance as planned, passing through some of Britain’s most scenic countryside as well as historic cities in the form of Lincoln and Cambridge.

Appropriately, the start and end points will be cricket-themed, as riders depart from Headingley on the 14th and arrive at Lord’s on the afternoon of the 17th.

A fundraising dinner at Headingley will provide an official send-off for the group on the evening of the 13th, before a welcome party greets them in St John’s Wood four days later.

All money raised during the Headingley to Lord’s bike ride will go towards professional cricketers and their immediate families when they need it most, providing a welcome boost to a small charity which missed out on an estimated £140,000 of fundraising due to Covid-19.

The generous fundraising efforts have never been more vital, after the Trust reported a record-breaking 2020 which saw 94 individuals supported in the area of mental health alone, up from 84 in 2019.

The Professional Cricketers’ Trust’s Head of Fundraising Kathryn Ford said: “The Headingley to Lord’s bike ride promises to be a wonderful event, and we are grateful to our sponsors BGC Partners, Halford’s and Le Col for agreeing to support the challenge.

“Their support will enable our riders to focus on what’s really important – saddling up and raising as much money as possible to help the most vulnerable after what has been a challenging year for us all.”

Former cricketer Richard Yeabsley, now of BGC Partners, added: “I am delighted to be involved with the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and supporting my fellow cricketers.

“Cricket has been a sport I have always loved and to be able to help people who need it at difficult times in their lives is important to me. I look forward to gaining as much support as I can for such a wonderful organisation through the Headingley to Lord’s bike ride.”

Find out more about the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and make a one-off donation to the players’ charity.