The strapline for Knight Frank Cycle to MIPIM 2024 is “transforming young lives”. The ride, produced by grant-making charity Club Peloton, supports a number of projects working with young people.
But it isn’t just young lives that Cycle to MIPIM transforms through the collective fundraising of every participant. It also has a positive impact on those taking part, in terms of fitness, networks and friendships that result from cycling from London to the southern coast of France over seven days. And for those who struggle to take time out of the office for both this and the MIPIM conference, there is, for the first time, a new four-day option available from Auxerre to Cannes.
Hannah Williams, from headline sponsor Knight Frank, and representatives from the three team sponsors: Sophie Levack from Lockton, Ed Wealend from Longevity, and Paul Wheller from SLR, gathered at Knight Frank’s offices last week to discuss how their involvement in this year’s event has been making – and will continue to make – a difference to both them and Club Peloton’s charitable projects.
For all the riders, training through the winter is a hefty but unavoidable requirement. Williams has thrown herself into the weekly Club Peloton Regent’s Park laps, as well as joining rides out in Surrey and Kent, where she has met many other riders of this and previous Cycle to MIPIMs.
She said: “It has been such an easy way of meeting people from all aspects of the property industry and, in my opinion, far more enjoyable.”
Wheller added: “So many of my contacts have been through the cycling community and Club Peloton has opened that up to me. The Club Peloton rides have made networking a lot easier as you have a shared interest to begin with.”
Wealend said: “I’ve recently turned 40 so everything pretty much hurts all the time. Training has given me a great excuse to prioritise my own health – once the kids are asleep – and whir away on a turbo trainer for a couple of hours of an evening, which means I’ve lost a few kilos and gained a bit of stability in my knees.”
Levack was a late entry to the ride, stepping in for an injured colleague. “I have been approaching training with a fierce attitude, and getting out on my bike as much as possible. I have been a long-time proponent of staying fit and have spent many hours on a Peloton, which I am hoping will pay dividends on the tougher portions of the journey.”
Gaining perspective
It’s not just the training that’s motivating this year’s crop of riders. The charity beneficiaries are a key reason for taking part in Cycle to MIPIM and putting yourself through almost 1,500kms of cycling in (generally) less-than-favourable conditions.
SLR’s Wheller said: “The project that really struck me was Cyclists Fighting Cancer. I can’t imagine what it would be like going through that at such a young age, so the ability to give children with cancer some joy and freedom through riding a bike seems priceless.”
Wealend added: “From a fundraising perspective, the idea of providing bikes for kids with or recovering from cancer has been a real motivator.
“I’ve lost close friends and family to cancer, as have many people, and seeing how grown adults suffer is bad enough. If a bike can bring a bit of joy in difficult times, as it always does for me, or help recover from treatment, that’s amazing.”
“Any sort of fundraising is imperative to the Lockton team as it is ingrained in our culture,” said Levack. “The three projects that we are supporting via Cycle to MIPIM are hugely important and the money we raise will help so many people.
“At Lockton, we are all so looking forward to completing this ride and creating a positive charitable impact to adoption, cancer support, and community safety.”
Both Williams and Levack said they were keen to recruit more women to the ride.
“Knight Frank has been the headline sponsor for a number of years and is strongly supportive of all Club Peloton’s charitable projects,” said Williams.
“While historically the ride has been dominated by male riders, I am hoping that my participation encourages other females in the industry to do future rides.”
Knight Frank Cycle to MIPIM also helps companies contribute to their ESG commitments.
“Cycle to MIPIM is a really great way of hitting a lot of social, health and wellbeing, and emissions reductions-related buttons, all the while raising bucket loads of cash for charity,” said Wealend. “For an ESG consultancy like Longevity, it’s a no-brainer.”
He added: “I’m a real advocate for active and public transport, so it’s partly to demonstrate how far you can travel on croissants and bananas. Longevity is supporting the ride partly because we’re an EG Award-winning, growing sustainability consultancy, and partly because dressing up 20 people from all walks of real estate in skin-tight clothes with your name on them seems like a good way of doing it.”
Levack added: “First and foremost, the more we can do to promote women cycling and, in this instance, take an extreme alternative to flying to Cannes, speaks volumes about our environmental contributions.
“The community aspect of the cycle also speaks to the social pillar of ESG. Being invited to the team as a young woman, in what has typically been a more exclusive club, really goes to show Lockton’s – and indeed MIPIM’s – progressive intentions for the event.”
“I hope it raises awareness of alternative ways of travelling,” said Williams. “The built environment has a meaningful role to play in reducing carbon emissions.”
Knight Frank Cycle to MIPIM 2024 departs London today, and riders on the four-day route will meet up with the seven-day riders in Auxerre.
Make a donation here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/cycle-to-mipim-2024
