On 16 January, over 800 riders from across the globe took to their turbo trainer bikes at home and joined the epic DROPS UCI vs. Tindall & Co: Chase, a virtual cycling event on Zwift, raising vital funds and awareness of our research.
This unique event saw cyclists join forces with rugby hero and Cure Parkinson’s patron Mike Tindall, Olympic legend Taylor Phinney and Paralympic Legend Dame Sarah Storey, to race against the renowned DROPS UCI cycling team. The race was certainly no mean feat as riders were racing the Keith Hill After Party route through virtual London, involving a 36.2km distance and 357m of vertical ascent.
Depending on their levels of fitness, participants could choose from a variety of start times, each being led by one of our fantastic celebrity cyclists:
- Start Time A: Frankie Hall, Directeur Sportif for Drops Le Col
- Start Time B: Dame Sarah Storey
- Start Time C: Mike Tindall and Taylor Phinney
- Start Time D: Cure Parkinson’s CEO Will Cook
We were delighted to see our CEO Will Cook lead his group to victory, crossing the finish line after a tough 4.5km climb before the phenomenal Drops Le Col team!
Excitingly, this thrilling event was broadcasted live on both the Zwift and Cure Parkinson’s YouTube channels, hosted by Olympic Champion Amy Williams MBE, Sky Sports presenter Alex Payne and cycling legend Matt Stevens. As well as interviewing the celebrities who took part, our presenters provided fantastic commentary and entertainment throughout the race. Cure Parkinson’s would like to thank Amy, Alex and Matt for making the event that extra bit special!
We are thrilled to announce that this epic virtual event raised over £20,000 for our ground-breaking research! A huge thank you to everyone who took part; with special thanks to our celebrity riders, to Zwift for hosting the event and Le Col for providing our stunning cycling participant jerseys on the day.
If you missed the live broadcast of the race, you can watch it here.
Sky Sports presenter Alex Payne interviewing Cure Parkinson’s CEO Will Cook Olympic Champion Amy Williams MBE interviewing Dame Sarah Storey Cyclist Matt Stevens interviewing Olympic Cyclist Champion Taylor Phinney Our riders in action!
