A Michelin charity cycling team has completed a gruelling 420 km
ride across Tanzania to help raise thousands of pounds for an
African safe driving project.
Michelin staff Henry Thain, Mike Wilson, Stephanie Machnik and
Dan Lamb used pedal power to raise £12,500 for Transaid - a
charity project set up to improve driver training standards and
safety on the roads in Tanzania. Michelin's fantastic four set off
on their African adventure in November from Dar Es Salaam,
taking in the stunning coastline of the Indian Ocean, nature
reserves and national parks before crossing the finishing line in
Monrogoro, five exhausting days later.
They pedalled between 80 and 90km a day in Tanzania in searing
temperatures of up to 47 degrees centigrade.They practised for the
event earlier in the year by completing a Dundee to Stoke cycle
ride in the summer, before setting off on 6 November for their
African tour.
Stephanie Machnik, who works as a Sales Process Tools
Co-ordinator at Michelin's Stoke Training Centre said: "It
was a gruelling but wonderful adventure and we got to see some
amazing sights while raising money for a worthwhile cause. It's
fantastic that the money we have raised will be going towards
improving driving standards and safety on the roads as it will help
make a real difference and save lives."
Having completed their African cycling trip, they will return to
their respective Michelin day jobs - like Stephanie Machnik, Dan
Lamb is based in Carlisle, Mike Wilson in Stoke and Henry Thain is
Regional Sales Manager for Michelin in Scotland - to plan their
next cycling adventure. It could be a repeat performance with the
chance to return to Tanzania in two years time.
The Professional Driving Training Project in Tanzania supported
by Transaid uses professional driving trainers and instructors to
teach improved driving skills through different graduated levels of
training. With road deaths the third highest cause of premature
death in Africa, projects like those supported by Transaid, hope to
significantly reduce that figure in the future.