Thursday June 14, 2018
He did it! Michael McGee has completed the epic 660km challenge from Coco – Bergamo – Rovereto – Verona – Treviso and then finishing in Udine, climbing over 9,600m over 5 days along the way. Battling the extreme heat, humidity and torrential weather conditions, Michael covered some of the most demanding terrain in Europe, raising over £17,000 (so far!) for charity.
Michael joined England and Wasps rugby legend, OBE Lawrence Dallaglio, for the fourth Dallaglio Cycle Slam and crossed the Stage 2 finish line in Udine on Thursday 12th June, with fellow stage riders who have all fundraised for charity.
The Dallaglio Cycle Slam 2018 is an epic 18 day, 1800km cycle challenge across the French and Swiss Alps, the Italian lakes, then into Slovenia and finishing in Croatia.
The event sees up to 200 dedicated riders commit to cycling ambitious and physically challenging European routes over a three week period. The event is split into three stages of five days cycling with 30 Core Riders completing the whole three week challenge alongside Lawrence Dallaglio himself.
The fundraising event is all about the challenge, camaraderie and teamwork, and it’s also a lot of fun. Dallaglio creates an incredibly special atmosphere, and almost everyone comes back for more. An incredible mix of supporters and celebrities who share a passion for cycling get involved, raising an astonishing amount for the charity.
Having previously taken part in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 “slams”, Michael was “sort of prepared” for what was in store for him, but it didn’t make the challenge any easier. Over the course of 5 days Michael spent over 55 hours on his bike to complete the Stage 2 phase of the cycle slam.
Michael McGee, Director, said:
“It has been a real mental and physical challenge for us all, and certainly the toughest cycle slam to date! I cannot thank everyone enough for all the support and encouragement that I have received, leading up to and during the event.
“I am overwhelmed to have exceeded my fundraising target thanks to the generous donations received, so all the pain has been incredibly worthwhile. I know the money will go to help improve the lives of many teenagers and I am proud to support Dallaglio RugbyWorks.”
The Slam started in Evian, France on Sunday, May 28th and Lawrence and the team led the way through three stages – over 2500km in all – and dubbed one of Dallaglio’s toughest cycle slams to date.
The Dallaglio target was to raise £1 million via corporate sponsorship, fundraising events, private donations, entry fees and individual rider sponsorships.
Michael McGee set a personal target of raising £15,000. Donation pages are still live, so if you would like to congratulate Michael on completing the challenge, please donate whatever you can by clicking HERE. Thank you for your support.
For more information about the Dallaglio Foundation visit http://www.dallagliorugbyworks.co.uk