As someone who suffered depression and received support from mental health charity Mind, and his employer, Behling wanted to give something back. Given the strong link between physical and mental wellbeing, a cycle ride between all of Ricardo’s UK sites, with riders from all facilities taking part, seemed an obvious choice. The ride, over 10 days, covered 900 miles, starting in Glasgow and finishing in London. Along the way some 70 riders took part, encountering over 45,000 ft of climbing.
The target was to raise £50,000 for Mind, and by the time R-Tour arrived at Ceratizit UK & Ireland’s office in Sheffield on day four, over half of that total had been pledged.
Ceratizit UK & Ireland became associated with R-Tour due to its own involvement with cycling, and as a long-standing supplier to the Ricardo Midlands Technical Centre in Leamington Spa. In addition to a financial contribution, the company provided each rider with a goodie bag containing WNT Rotor Pro Cycling accessories and, on arrival at Sheffield, a welcome refuel with a hog roast and a mobile service centre to make sure riders and bikes were in top condition. The following morning, Ricardo employees were joined by Tony Pennington and Adrian Fitts from Ceratizit UK & Ireland for the next stage leaving from Sheffield and visiting Derby, Leicester and Leamington Spa.
Behling says: “Unlike a physical injury or illness, it’s not easy to see when mental health is fixed. In truth, it probably never is fixed, it’s just better managed. With the help of Ricardo employee assistance and Mind I am now in control of my mental health, and part of my care package was to get cycling again. Along with support from employees across the group and sponsors, such as Ceratizit and Cycle2Work, we can make a difference for others in the way that I have been supported.”
