Back on the road
May 21st
Three Men on a Bike tackle 100 miles in one day
Simon Griffiths and Tim Walter – two of Roland’s Three Men on a Bike charity team – donned their lycra suits once again for Carten 100 on Saturday 12 May.
The Carten 100 is an annual charity event in which hundreds of cyclists tackle the 104-mile journey between Cardiff and Tenby.
For Simon and Tim, the challenge was excellent practice for their real task, which starts in August. Joined by fellow Roland director, Peter Heath, Simon and Tim will have just 10 days to cycle the 926 miles from John O’ Groats to Land’s End – that’s works out at 92 miles a day!
Every mile the team cycles gets them closer to their goal of raising £40,000 for Children in Need and Music for All. They’re training hard so if you’d like to show your support, donate now by clicking on the clicking on the column to the right.
Success: Simon and Tim take the weight off at Tenby after 104 miles on the road.
Carten 100: The First Test
May 11th
Three Men on a Bike get ready to test their mettle with the Carten100
After months of relentless training, the guys are ready for the first test of their abilities.
Tomorrow (Saturday 12 May), Roland Directors Tim and Simon are set to take part in the Carten 100. This is a grueling 100-mile ride along the coast from Cardiff to Tenby – and they only have one day to do it.
With months of training behind them, they’ve got every reason to be confident and if they make it all the way to Tenby, there’s a promise of a well-earned pint with the other riders. If all else fails, that should be enough to keep them going.
Tough as it is, the Carten100 is just a taste of things to come. In August, the team will cycle the 926 miles from John O’ Groats to Lands End. They will have to complete an exhausting 92.6 miles every day. For 10 days!
Of course it’s all for a good cause, and you can sponsor Three Men On a Bike, by clicking on the donate bar to the right. All donations will be split between Music for All and Children in Need.
Find out more about the Carten100, click here www.carten100.co.uk
And if you’re in the area, why not pop out and cheer the Roland boys on?
Three Men on a Bike choose good causes
Mar 30th
Three Men on a Bike choose good causes
Children in Need and Music for All to benefit from Roland fundraising
Roland’s Directors have chosen the charities they will collect for on their 926-mile bike ride as Music for All and Children in Need.
In 2010, Tim Walter (Managing Director), Simon Griffiths (Finance Director) and Peter Heath (Business Development Director) raised £22000 for Charity when they rode from Land’s End to London. This year they’re taking on an even longer journey and hope to raise £40,000 for their chosen causes.
To donate to a great cause go here.
Three Men on a Bike go the extra 100 miles
Mar 30th
Roland’s charity riders get in training with 100-mile session
The directors will take part in the Carten100 ride from Cardiff to Tenby on Saturday 12th May
As the deadline for the Three Men on a Bike challenge approaches, Roland’s Directors have started training in earnest. To prove they’re confidence is growing (as their waistlines shrink), Tim Walter, Simon Griffiths and Peter Heath have signed up to take part in the Carten 100 on 12 May.
The team will have just one day to cycle 100 miles from Cardiff to Tenby. Joining hundreds of fellow cyclists, the challenge should give them a taste of what awaits in August, when they’ll cycle from John O’ Groats to Land’s End – a total of 600 miles.
As they’ve all been putting in plenty of time in the saddle, the scenic ride should reveal a team at the height of the powers – and if it proves thirsty work, the day traditionally ends with a well-earned pint in Tenby.
The team hopes to raise £40,000 for musical instrument charity, Music For All and Children In Need when it hit the road in August.
For more information on the Cartten 100, visit www.carten100.co.uk
Three Men on a Bike – the sequel
Oct 24th
Music Industry Charity Bike Ride Shifts up a Gear
Last year’s inaugural ‘Three Men on a Bike’ fundraiser was a resounding success, raising £22,000 for the Music for All charity and the British Heart Foundation. The Three Men team, led by Roland UK’s Board of Directors, cycled 430 miles from Land’s End to London, supported by some of the music industry’s finest (and fittest) people.
Since then however, things have gone downhill. The glory has faded, the bikes are in storage and Tim, Simon and Peter are far removed from the Lycra-clad vision of days gone by: too much time in meetings, not enough time in the saddle. So, out of a desire to give something back (especially the recently-gained stone or three) the Three Men are announcing their toughest challenge yet.
In August 2012, the team will set off from John O’ Groats to Lands End, aiming to raise an inflation-busting £40,000 on behalf of the Music for All and Children in Need charities. Larger cycling shorts have been ordered and the bikes have been strengthened, ready for training to begin in January 2012.
With 2012 being the year of the Olympics, a ‘Music for All’ torch will be carried throughout the ride, being passed between the guest riders taking part in the various stages. Already confirmed are Si and Tel from PMT and Alex Martin from Red Dog. If you’re a Managing Director within the music industry, we’d love you to join our elite group of torch bearers, so please get in touch.
And so once again, the call to the saddle goes forth. The Three Men are looking for like-minded souls to join the team, and get involved in a brilliant and worthwhile cause. And maybe, just maybe, become more attractive to the opposite sex in the process – it’s all about the glutes apparently.
If you’re interested in getting on your bike, please e-mail Janine@roland.co.uk
We did it!
Oct 26th
3 Men On A Bike (Lands End To London) – We did it!
- October 1st 2010 three unfit (but getting fitter) directors from Roland UK and a bunch of other music industry colleagues set off on a 430 mile bike ride from Lands End to London to raise money for Music for All & the British Heart Foundation
- So far we have raised almost £22,000 with further support still coming in. Please support us however you can via sponsorship or a donation via our secure Just Giving pages
Day 8 – 420 miles – done!
Oct 8th
It seems like weeks ago that we were at Lands End in the pouring rain with a mountain (quite literally) ahead of us to climb.
420 miles seemed like an impossibility, but as I sit in a car driving out of London, Tower Bridge and now the Houses of Parliament on the right it’s only just dawning on us all what we have just achieved.
More on this later. For now we need to finish off Day 7.
Dinner at Redhill Premier Inn turned into an awards night for three men on a bike. Categories such as best road, best hill, worst hotel, most expensive bike, hardest looking rider, smelliest helmet and best road kill were some of the many that were debated and awarded. Simon (G) modelled Peter’s man bag with and without shirt, we’re still not sure which he carried off best. It was one of the funniest nights I’ve ever had and topped an extraordinary week of endurance, challenge and friendship. More >
Day 7 – 42 miles – London in sight
Oct 7th
A quiet day planned after the full-on 70 miles from Portsmouth to Eastbourne (via Beachy Head!) yesterday.
Tony White (Bonners) was our guest rider for the day – perhaps we should come clean now and call them victims? Tony took us on cycle route 21 for the first 8 miles of the run, locally known as the Cuckoo Trail. James was hugely excited at the prospect of seeing some birds. Peter and Simon were equally enthusiastic, but I think they were on the lookout for a different type of wildlife. We did see a bird (flying) but it could have been anything. Simon (G) suggested an albatross. More >
Day 6 – Boys with their toys – 70 miles – done!!
Oct 6th
Some anticipation to this day from several quarters. However, we need to finish off Day 5 first.
Dinner after the Nevada gig had been booked at Zizzi’s. Simon and Terry (the Boyz from PMT) needed to settle pre-ride nerves with some pasta and sparkling water. This was just as well, as this useless restaurant (apparently they have 50 outlets) had no chicken and no meat!? The restaurant was packed…briefly. Anyway, having found something on the menu that could be served, the staff then preceded to outperform the Premier Inn restaurant crew with service that would have made poor Mr Zizzi turn in his grave.
NB suggest you do not use this restaurant, EVER!
Early night (not) and day 6 was upon us. The Boyz were in for breakfast, slightly the worse for wear….must have slept badly!
A short drive back to Nevada to pick up the bikes was not without incident. Griffiths managed to upset white van man, coming close to a full on confrontation at some traffic lights. As the three burly blokes stepped from their van to confront him, we were relieved to see them wearing Three Men on a Bike jerseys. I think it spiced up a rather tedious rush hour in Portsmouth. More >
Day 5 – long long day – 63 miles
Oct 5th
We got back late last night to the hotel after the gig with Howard Jones at Absolute Music and just caught last orders at the restaurant. What a relief as we were all starving. The waiters were clearly in no hurry to get home and I think it was at least 10.30pm when the starters arrived. After 58 miles that day, and no food since lunch this was somewhat challenging. Clearly this particular Premier Inn restaurant had missed the training day that covered the ‘premier’ bit.
We were late to bed and to be doubly secure, I can report another first for me this week – I slept with my bike. There was a rumour that I’d chained it to my toilet seat. It was in fact the only secure point in the room but by the time I got in anyway, the bike was asleep. More >
What day is it? Laundry day of course!
Oct 5th
Just as the we’re starting to get over the horrendous weather we’ve had so far, it’s a shame we can’t say the same for our kit, which is threatening to crawl to London on its own accord.
A reprieve came in the form of Janine and Dean who whisked our kit off to the nearest laundrette to save our blushes for the next few days of the ride, only for Dean to whisk his own kit off a la Nick Kamen in the Levis 501 advert.
We’ll let you decide whether Dean is a match for Nick or not! More >
Day 4 – Chard to Poole – 58 miles – done!
Oct 4th
An overnight at the Lordleaze Hotel started off in style as we rode (quite literally) into the bar to find a line of cold lagers awaiting! (thanks mum!)
What fantastic hosts and a great place to stay.
That evening they were running a local carnival committee fund raising quiz and Peter, characteristically, arrested the mic from the quiz master and got a Three Men plug in, filling one of our collecting tins. I hope they managed to save some change for their carnival.
A glorious day awaited us the next morning and what a welcome for our first guest rider, Sean Montgomery. After the essential meeting with Ollie, Rose had arranged a daily (or so Sean thought) ‘inspection’. This involved some serious blowing down a tube (alcohol test) and the deposit of a small sample in a cup (another test….). More >
Day 3 – All Creatures Great and Small – 61 Miles – Done!
Oct 3rd
Delightful stay at the Glazebrook hotel last night. A quiet hideaway (AA 2 Star), great owners and fantastic service.
An air of some expectation hung over us at dinner last night. Even optomisticweather.com (Simon’s Russian iPhone weather app) wasn’t looking good. Day 3 was the highest elevation of the whole ride (just under 4000 ft / 61 miles) and pouring rain was promised. Great company and a team spirit got us through the evening, helped in no uncertain part by Rose’s laundry service (clean shorts for everyone, at last).
Simon’s (L) discovery of a Cheese Mite, quite tasty he said, was to begin a 24 hr animaltastic episode in our cycling lives. More >
Day 2 – Lots of Hills – Done
Oct 2nd
For once, the TV weather and Simon’s cheap iPhone weather app, downloaded from some Russian web-site, both agreed that today was a good day for cycling.
Unfortunately things didn’t start quite so well, as a strong smell of vomit greeted us in reception on the way to breakfast. Simon (SG) swears it wasn’t him although the late night drinks he had with Alyn (our driver and Ollie minder) can’t have helped. They were doing a lot of cleaning around his room…. More >
Day 1 – 60 miles – done!
Oct 1st
One wonders if it might have been slightly easier to stand under a cold shower all day! As I sit in the Premier Inn in Bodmin reflecting on the appalling day’s weather, the sun has just come out – it’s a cruel world!
The journey down yesterday was long, but uneventful. Lands End is one heck of a long way away. Travelled down with Peter, Simon and James. Simon Lewis (Music Tech) made his own way there and we met up later for dinner with the very charming Mary. Our support crew, Terry and Rose (June) and their son Alyn drove the rather full van. A key highlight was discovering what Peter’s been up to since the age of 9. You’ll have to ask him…. More >
And they’re off…(well almost)
Oct 1st
Despite the rain, the guys are ready for the off – see you in 60 miles!
24 hours to go…
Sep 30th
With just over 24 hours to go until the ride begins, over £14,000 has been raised in aid of Music for All and the British Heart Foundation. However, with the long-range weather forecast painting a bleak picture (it’s going to pour down) the “Three Men on a Bike” team need your continued support. More >
The boys are back in town
Sep 29th
After the trauma of their “pot hole incident”, we’re delighted to hear that Simon and Terry from PMT are back on the road again and are training hard for the ride which starts at 10am this Friday Oct 1st.
Check out the video of Simon & Terry training here
PMT crash out in charity bike ride horror!
Sep 23rd
Three Men on a Bike initiative sees two men off a bike and hears calls for help
Simon Gilson and Terry Hope of PMT, who were hoping to take part on the October 6th leg of the Three Men on a Bike charity ride from Lands End to London, have been involved in an incident, seeing the pair crash their specially ordered tandem bicycle into road works in Southend town centre.
Eyewitnesses have described the crash as ‘a pot-hole incident’. More >
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Aug 11th
Andrew from sales support at Roland, decided to shave his head to raise money for Three men on a bike!
Here is the photo evidence…he didnt bother to tell his wife beforehand though, whoops.
Well done to Andrew. Over £50 raised for British Heart Foundation and Music for all.
