On Monday 7 May, a group of 56 cyclists made it to the Eiffel Tower to complete their epic Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge.

Over the course of four days, our intrepid cyclists – many of whom began training for the challenge as complete beginners – covered 430km from Bristol, through Salisbury, Portsmouth, Caen, Evreux and onto Paris. 

The group managed to hit its fundraising total of £150,000 for a 3D ultrasound scanner for the Fetal Medicine Unit (FMU) at St Michael’s Hospital.

Every year the FMU performs over 3,500 ultrasound scans on mums-to-be with complicated pregnancies. This state of the art piece of equipment will enable hospital staff to diagnose and conduct life saving procedures on babies still in the womb.

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One cyclist who understands the importance of this equipment is Finbarr O’Halloran, whose indentical twin girls Amy and Eve were given just a 40% chance of survival due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. They were operated on while still in the womb by staff at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Finbarr said: "There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not grateful to the staff at St. Mike’s. Every time I think about I have a mixture of relief and gratefulness. The reason I felt so passionate about doing this ride and raising as much as I can for Above & Beyond is so they can fund the next generation of scanner for the hospital and help more families who face complicated pregnancies."

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Edd Smith, Corporate Partnerships and Community Fundraising Manager for Above & Beyond, added:

"I'm overwhelmed by the commitment and support of everyone taking part in this year’s Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge. We’re extremely grateful to all of our cyclists who trained through all weather conditions and worked so hard at fundraising and raising awareness for Above & Beyond.

"Our group of cyclists - including staff members from local companies, UH Bristol and Above & Beyond, longtime supporters of the charity and even parents of children once treated at the FMU - has raised a phenomenal amount towards the purchase of this vital piece of equipment for St Michael's Hospital. Let's hope the donations keep rolling once their friends, family and the community hears about their amazing efforts!"

To see more photos from the challenge and keep updated with our events and what our amazing fundraisers are up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Be inspired!

Entries for the 2019 ride will open soon - you can register your interest on the Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge 2019 event page.