Charlie brings six-nations bikers home - despite a barrier

SIX bikers who set themselves six countries to visit in one 700-mile charity bike ride achieved their objective '“ with an hour to spare.

But though the money for Sunday's Macmillan Cancer Support is still rolling in, the charity ride organised by Phoenix Motorcycles boss Charlie Whyte came at a cost for Charlie.

In what Charlie describes as "a bad end to a nice day," the barrier at Calais docks allowed the first five riders through then came down on Charlie's head.

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The barrier smashed his bike's screen and instruments, damaged his helmet, smashed his glasses and left him with a headache.

Together with Steve Bennett, John Joyce, Sebastian Guard, Andy Leese and Alistair Bell '“ all from Bexhill and Hastings '“ he had left Glyne Gap at 4am with the aim of raising 2,000 for Macmillan.

Euro-Tunnel had sponsored their Channel crossing and, pausing only for photographs as proof for generous sponsors, by 6.30am the party were in France.

Charlie said: "It was going well. We were into Belgium by 8.15am.

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"From there we continued towards Brussels and we were in Maastricht just before lunch-time and is Aachen in Germany by 1.30."

England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany '“ that only left Luxembourg to complete the six countries.

"We were in Luxembourg by 3pm. It was a very late lunch but a very nice one..."

European border controls are now a distant memory. But at each crossing point they posed for photographs "for the disbelievers..."

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The aim was to get back to Calais by 9.30pm. All had been going well. They had been blessed by fine weather until drizzle turned to rain as they headed for the Channel tunnel terminus.

Charlie said: "I had booked us all together to save time.

"The others went under the barrier. But the last one through was Joe Muggins. The the barrier came down on me.

"It bashed my helmet, smashed my glasses '“ luckily I always carry a spare pair '“ smashed the bike's screen and the stuff below it.

"The French were very good. They wanted me to go to hospital. But I felt OK; just a touch of whiplash.

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"They said it happens quite often '“ usually to cars not motorbikes."

Then came a second problem. They had to wait hours for another train.

The party got back to their start line at 3am '“ just one hour to spare under their 24 hour target.

However, the delay proved to be a blessing in disguise.

Charlie said: "The bikes were outside with the Macmillan stickers on while we were waiting at Calais.

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"A guy called Gary came along and said 'What's this about?'

"We told him and he said 'My mother died of cancer last year' and gave us 20.

"Another guy came up and asked the same thing. He gave us 30 '“ so that was another 50."

Some 1,200 has come over the counter at Phoenix Motorcycles in Beeching Road with a further 200 over the clothing counter and 400 in the workshop.

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"That still leaves another four people fund-raising so we are well over the 2,000 and probably on our way to 3,000.

"We had a wonderful ride. Every single one of them thanked me for it at the end.

"It's just a shame that a good day ended with something bad."