Plan directors Scott, Ryan and Grant Georgiades will be riding 270 miles from London to Paris in aid of the blood cancer research charity, Bloodwise.
The company has been supporting Bloodwise’s fundraising cycle events for the past two years via their Yellow Jersey Insurance brand. As the three brothers own and run the family business, finding time to take part in one of Bloodwise’s rides together has been a struggle but they’ve finally managed to do so.
MD Ryan explains why they’re so keen to take part,
“From working with Bloodwise, we’re aware of the brilliant work that they do. Nearly 40,000 people a year are diagnosed with a blood cancer. Leukaemia is the most common type that affects children. Bloodwise have helped get the survival rates up for certain types from 1 in 10 to 9 in 10. With a number of young children in our family, those figures particularly hit home with us.”
The brothers created the specialist cycle insurer Yellow Jersey four years ago and have successfully established it as the go-to product for pedal power enthusiasts with high value bikes. It began life as a spin-off from the family firm’s well established company Plan Insurance Brokers, that specialises in commercial motor insurance lines.
With commercial road users and cyclists not being the best of bedfellows, Yellow Jersey was launched as a separate entity, but the teams have been working closely together. Next year, Plan and Yellow Jersey will even launch a shared campaign around road safety.
Initially, Yellow Jersey was an outlet for their creative energies and shared passion for cycling. However the pet project has since built up a client base of over 5,000 cyclists. When asked how their training has been going, Ryan is slightly less effusive:
“It’s great that Yellow Jersey gives us the opportunity to get involved with these fantastic events but as the saying goes – don’t make your hobby your job. It’s taken up a lot of time and energy to get it from a start-up to where it is now. As a result, we’ve not been out on our bikes anywhere near as much as we should have.”
With young families, both Scott and Ryan have found time to train in their busy schedules hard to come by. Scott revealed his plan for getting through the challenge,
“Anyone with young children knows that life is hectic. If you were being polite you’d probably say we’re no longer in peak physical condition. So we’re counting on muscle memory, a strong will and a positive attitude to get us round but I’m sure we’ll enjoy it all the same.”
Youngest brother and marketing director Grant is less concerned with muscle fatigue.
“It’s a great cause and a fantastic event. The chance for the three of us to ride through France with rolling road closures and then down the Champs-Élysées together was just too good to pass up. The atmosphere should boost the energy levels. My main worry at the moment is the saddle sore after cycling 70 miles for four days in a row.”
Bloodwise organise amazing challenges and events of all types right across the country. Visit their site to find out how you can Get Involved and help fund vital life-saving research into blood cancers.
