Over 30 cyclists will be just starting the second leg of their mammoth 140-mile trip from Essex to Amsterdam.

Matthew and Simon Hebdon are our only two brothers taking part in the forthcoming challenge, and we are so grateful that they have chosen to cycle for the Kids Inspire community.

Hear from Mathew below, who shared his thoughts on behalf of both himself and Simon:

“It’s always nice to have a bit of a challenge to work towards, especially if it means getting out and about in the sunshine! But the main reason for joining the ride is that the company I work for chose to support Kids Inspire as its Christmas charity last year. Others helped by wrapping and delivering gifts, but as my wrapping skills are terrible, I volunteered to take on the bike ride instead. Thankfully Simon agreed to join so we can moan to each other when the going gets tough! 

“We’ve both been cycling for a few years already, so are quite used to doing 20-30 miles in one hit… but now the sun’s out (and the wind has died down!) it’s time to start building up 50+ milers. Actually, Simon’s already done a few cycle challenges so perhaps it’ll be me doing more moaning than him!”

“We didn’t know much about Kids Inspire before last year but when we heard what you do we were pleased to support the community. I think we were particularly keen to try and support something local, and as we’re both parents this really appealed. The more I’ve learned about Kids Inspire, the more I realise how important it is to have access to these services in our community. Hopefully our little bit will help them keep doing their good work.”

Thank you both Matthew and Simon and good luck for the coming seven weeks!