“I am a fairweather cyclist, I don’t do rain and I don’t do cold,” Sophie Keevill (pictured), operations director at MA Financial Media, tells Portfolio Adviser. “I first bought a bike when I sold my car a decade ago, having just moved to London. It was a cheap little road bike. But it was great to commute to the office. I suppose my love of cycling is born of my hatred of the tube.”
At the start of this week, ‘fairweather cyclist’ Keevill returned from cycling the gruelling 340km stretch from Brussels to Amsterdam, helping to raise in excess of £60,000 for charity Elizabeth’s Smile alongside 69 other cyclists. The event, organised by TAM Asset Management, is the second long-distance cycle they have arranged in as many years, both of which have been in aid of supporting children who are grieving a parent.
Last year, tens of members of the asset management and wealth management communities joined the TAM team on a 360km cycle from London Waterloo, to Waterloo in Belgium, raising £47,000 for Waterloo Uncovered. Keevill was among one of these riders and so, when this year’s opportunity arose, she explains that she “practically bit [TAM CIO] James Penny’s hand off for the opportunity to ride again”.
“The team first caught me unaware at the end of 2022; somebody mentioned the Waterloo to Waterloo cycle to me, and I was persuaded to give it a go. I was totally petrified that I wouldn’t be able to keep up, and that it would be a harrowing experience. But actually, I spent three days with the nicest group of people and with the biggest smile on my face.
“Therefore, when the opportunity arose this year, I jumped at the chance to take part again, and to have the opportunity to raise money for such brilliant causes.”
Elizabeth’s Smile
Elizabeth’s Smile was founded in 2022 by late Nutmeg CEO Nick Hungerford who, at the age of 42, received a devastating diagnosis of terminal cancer. Named after his daughter Elizabeth and now run by his wife Nancy Hungerford, Elizabeth’s Smile supports grieving children and their families. The charity works in close partnership with Winston’s Wish and the Ruth Strauss Foundation, who achieve similar aims, and both this year and last year’s cycles raised money for all three non-for-profit organisations.
According to research from Elizabeth’s Smile,127 children and young people are bereaved of a parent every single day in the UK. By the age of 16, one in 20 children will have experienced the death of a parent – that’s at least one in every classroom.
This year’s cycle from Brussels to Amsterdam fell on the first anniversary of Hungerford’s passing.
“The cause is hugely, hugely touching for all of us,” Keevill says. “You are never many steps removed from somebody who has lost a parent at a very young age, and that support is really, really crucial.”
Reaching the starter mark
Keevill’s first day of the cycle begun at about 4am, having caught the Eurostar alongside the rest of the cyclists just after 5am. “We were eating as much as possible, trying to get the carbs in. We all changed into our cycling gear in the Eurostar toilets; trying to wrestle yourself into very snug lycra within the confines of the Eurostar toilets is not easy, and it certainly wasn’t graceful. But there was a real sense of excitement.”
Upon reaching Brussels, first thoughts turned to everybody’s bikes, which had been transported by van the night before, and whether they had all made it in one piece.
“Then, you see this amazing sight of everybody leaving the station in their matching kit,” Keevill continues. “There were bikes and support vans everywhere, lots of people offering out water and bike pumps. There was an insane level of organisation, where everything we could have possibly needed was all in one place.
“Then, when the time came to start, 70 of us left Brussels in complete chaos, weaving our way through the narrow cobbled streets which were full of traffic, and working out which direction to head in.”
Time in the saddle
On the first day, Keevill cycled 121km in four hours and 45 minutes – this was time spent in the saddle, not accounting for water breaks and a stop for lunch. On the second day, she completed 140km in five hours and 15 minutes and, on the final day, she cycled 92km in just under three and-a-half hours.
“It was the non-stop peddling that I found the hardest,” she says. “It’s a flat route, which you may think would be easy, but it means you never get a change in pace, or to exercise different muscles in your legs by standing while cycling uphill, or coasting downhill. I didn’t realise how much of a toll the flatness of the route would take.
“But the best part of it all for me, was the fact that wherever you looked, you were never alone. It’s the coolest feeling in the world, when you think you’re falling behind, to suddenly realise there are other people just behind you, and we are all cheering each other on.
“The scenery was gorgeous. But nothing quite compares to the feeling of riding as a team and everyone looking after each other. If you get a puncture, or if you fall off, everybody rallies around. There was no desperate need to cross the finish line first from anybody – it was all about getting there together in one piece.”
Immediately after the race, after spraying 70 bottles of sparkling wine over each other for a group photo, the team frequented a bar approximately 3km from the finish line (“they must not have known what hit them, 70 cyclists barging in wearing matching cycling gear”.)
Then, the team retired to their hotel 2km away. “At that point all we wanted to do was shower,” Keevill says. “The final day was so hot. We were riding alongside a beautiful canal but there was very little tree cover, and sun was reflecting off of the water. We were constantly covering ourselves with factor 50 sunscreen.”
Next steps – and how to donate
After a “brilliant night out” in Amsterdam, Keevill returned home, already throwing her hat into the ring for next year’s cycle challenge. And, next week, she will run to the top of Mount Snowdon and back, also to raise money for Elizabeth’s Smile. People can donate to sponsor both of these feats here. At time of writing (25 July), Keevill has raised £625 of her £1,000 target.
“It’s all about being willing, feeling ready to do it and raising money for a very worthwhile cause. So far we have raised £60,000, but we are hoping to make it up to £70,000 between us,” the events head says.
“It’s important to know what your motivations are, and remember why you are doing what you are doing – especially during the times when it gets really tough. Because in those moments, having those charities in the back of your mind will keep you motivated – you will find your way through that tough patch.
“There is nothing quite like the feeling when you have finished and achieved what you set out to achieve. You have raised your money and you are celebrating. It’s just absolutely extraordinary.”
James Penny, CIO at TAM Asset Management, tells Portfolio Adviser that he “couldn’t be prouder” of the team this year for “pulling off a fantastic fundraising challenge”.
“The bond between each rider was amazing to see flourish over the three days, with friends and colleagues coming together to motivate and support each other to the finish line in support of children who desperately need help.
“The atmosphere and camaraderie within the group over the three days is what I think makes this event one of the best in the charity event calendar for financial services. the attitudes of the people within this ride remind me exactly why wealth and asset management is a people industry and why I love working within it.”
To donate to Sophie Keevill’s JustGiving Page, in aid of Elizabeth’s Smile, please click here.
