PEDAL POWER: TEAM HL SET TO CYCLE 100 MILES THROUGH THE MIDLANDS AS VÉLO BIRMINGHAM RETURNS

Team HL will be channelling their pedal power this weekend as they take part in Vélo Birmingham and Midlands.

A five-strong contingent from the business will take to the saddle on Sunday as they cycle 100 miles from and back to Birmingham, through a host of surrounding and towns and through the 2021 City of Culture.

Fiona Mellor, Andrew Groves, Neil Harris, Chris Jones and Andy Smith have all signed up for the  Vélo challenge.

Fiona, who took part in the inaugural Vélo Birmingham in 2017 along with Andrew Groves, said: “A lot of us are keen cyclists at Harris Lamb and the chance to enjoy a ride through the Midlands with the roads closed to other traffic is too good an opportunity to miss.

“Around 17,000 riders are expected to take part, starting in the city centre and taking a new route through the Midlands which sees us travel through Solihull, Warwickshire, Dudley and Sandwell as well as through Coventry, along the cobbled streets around the Cathedral.

“We spend a lot of time visiting the various towns and cities within the Midlands during the course of our jobs, but not from the saddle, and we’re looking forward to admiring the views and villages that we don’t always get to appreciate – though there are some pretty tough inclines; around 1,500 metres of climbs for us to ascend throughout the day; so we may not appreciate those as much!

“We’re not undertaking this for charity, more as an opportunity to experience the region from an entirely different perspective. The weather looks like it’s going to be kind to us, and we gather there are likely to be tens of thousands of supporters lining the route, so it certainly sounds like a Sunday to remember,” she added.

Whether six pairs of legs will feel quite so enthusiastic on Monday is an entirely different matter…