Alistair Mytton at the finish in Paris
London-Paris 2009 has raised more than £100,000 for its partners and other charities. This year’s prestigious purple fundraising jersey went Alistair Mytton, who raised £3,750 and who was rewarded with two VIP box tickets to a Premiership football match, donated by adidas, and free entry to L2P 2010.
Mytton, from Australia, is chief financial officer of the diamonds and specialty products customer group for BHP Billiton and is now based in Vancouver, Canada. BHP Billiton is the world’s largest diversified mining company. The Diamonds Group has diamonds, potash and mineral sands in its portfolio.
He writes: “In 2006 I was living in Surrey. I am a keen weekend amateur cyclist and would spend any available leisure time cycling around the Surrey Downs which has some of the most gorgeous cycling routes. I had heard about the L2P from the team at Sigma Sport and always harbored an ambition of completing a challenging ride of the kind the L2P has to offer. The lure of riding from London to Paris with a peloton of fellow cycling nuts and finishing under the Eiffel Tower was too good to refuse. The organization of the event by the HotChillee team was outstanding which made it even more enjoyable.
“It started with training rides in the depths of winter and concluded with the finish in brilliant sunshine in June, riding as a peloton through the streets of Paris with a police escort.
“The camaraderie was outstanding. The memories of riding into Paris are still vivid and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I completed the ride with two buddies from work. We did most of our training in Richmond Park in London, on the Surrey Downs or riding to Windsor Castle.
“The generosity of family and friends in sponsoring me on the ride was very much appreciated, with the proceeds going to worthy causes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, but living in Vancouver means it’ll be a challenge. Although I must say if I do it again, the rolling hills on Day 1 and Day 2 will be nothing compared to the training rides in Vancouver.”