Industry@Work

By Karina Sanchez · August 2006

The Ride of Your Life

THERE'S more to being a successful businessperson than by just bringing in the big bucks. While revenue is one of the most important aspects of business, there's so much more that can be done to not only improve one's self, but also a company's presence and morale. Some people, being so involved in work, lose track of the meaningful facets of life -- such as being able to lend a hand to those in need.

Nigel Petrie, chairman of Dedicated Micros' parent company AD Group, has made it his mission to do more for those who need a little extra help. And he's not just doing it by handouts, he's strapping on a biking helmet and packing his bags to take a ride for a new set of wheels. Already having cycled more than 8,000 miles and raising an impressive $148,804 for charity with his riding partner, Peter Vince, they also just completed a more than 500-mile, nine-day bike ride along Switzerland and the Belgium coast. This last ride, suitably named the Wheels4Freedom project, was to raise money for three electric wheelchairs for veterans from WWII, the Gulf War and the war in Iraq.

Nigel Petrie, chairman of Dedicated Micros' parent company AD Group, has made it his mission to do more for those who need a little extra help. And he's not just doing it by handouts, he's strapping on a biking helmet and packing his bags to take a ride for a new set of wheels.

Petrie's and Vince's Biking4Charity effort is designed to raise money for charity while doing something that they both enjoy: biking. The two friends raise money for charities by drumming up support to take on long-distance rides along interesting routes. With the help of the Royal British Legion, Petrie and Vince raised $22,320 in their latest Wheels4Freedom project. And having already raised money for organizations such as the Macmillan Fund, Help the Hospices and the Prostate Cancer Charity, Petrie and Vince hope to do more for other organizations.

Where It All Started
Being friends for more than 30 years, Petrie and Vince had a passion for cycling. And, as Petrie said, they thought it'd be an exciting thing to do before they got too old.

They began their first ride back in 1988 and have been at it ever since. Traveling distances as lengthy as the ride between Rome and the United Kingdom, and Spain's Camino de Santiago an estimated four times, there are no signs of the two quitting anytime soon. Plans are already underway to establish the next ride. On average, they cycle one long-distance ride a year and participate in a number of smaller events throughout the rest of the year.

Petrie and Vince fund the costs and ride completely self-contained, with no back-up drivers or support. Whatever money they raise for the charity goes straight to that charity, and none of it goes to fund the ride itself.

Raising Awareness
Part of the motivation behind their rides is to not only raise money for charities, but to also raise awareness. And it seems to be working.

"There's a fantastic level of interest from people. Complete strangers have contacted us to comment about it or to find out how to do it themselves," Petrie said.

His method for deciding what the next riding venture will entail: just looking for interesting things to do that will capture people's attention. In his latest cycling journey -- Wheels4Freedom -- the idea was to combine doing something that had a great amount of historical relevance with a fundraising project that was related to helping people that had been victims of war one way or another.

Their rides are never easy. Imagine spending nine to 10 hours on a bike for seven to 10 days. Not only that, but imagine cycling on a mountain with constant rain and high winds. Moreover, imagine going through all that while riding through old war grounds where many people lost their lives for citizens of their country who they didn't even know. It's a grueling effort.

"It's highly physically demanding and highly emotionally demanding," Petrie said.

But in the end, the reward of being able to do something great for a veteran who went through the trials of war is heart-felt and honorable.

Keeping Things Going
Petrie and Vince hope to keep their rides going while also encouraging others to do the same. In helping promote this effort, Petrie mounted Dedicated Micros' TransVu mobile digital CCTV system onto his bike's handlebar to record footage of the ride. He chose this system because of its ruggedness and its ability to tolerate the elements. He opted for solid-state, flash memory in place of a hard-disk drive to reduce weight and cope with the often-rough terrain. Having recorded a good amount of the ride, Petrie plans to use clips to encourage use of their biking route along the Belgium coast for fundraising purposes by other people.

Taking this type of initiative and following through with it throughout the years, Petrie and Vince are both commended for their efforts. They've realized that there's a little more to life than running a successful business. There's a humanitarian effort that should be a part of everybody's agenda. And riding for life is Petrie's. For more information about Biking4Charity, visit www.biking4charity.org.uk.

This article originally appeared in the August 2006 issue of Security Products, pg. 10.

About the author

Karina Sanchez
Karina Sanchez is the former managing editor for Security Products magazine. She now freelances for Web publishers, trade magazines and corporations.


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