The property industry, regardless of what aspect of it you work in, is all about cycles. Economic, development and – most importantly, bicycles.
Cycling is now established as the networking activity of the sector and as more work is being done to promote diversity within the largely male, pale and stale property industry, so too is work being done to open up these activities to the whole of the industry.
Late last month, the fifth annual PedElle took place.
The charity ride, organised by Club Peloton to raise money for Coram and sponsored by Legal & General Real Assets, has expanded from fewer than a dozen riders to almost 50 this year.
The three-day, 300-mile adventure has taken women from London to Paris, Milan to Venice, Bilbao to Madrid, Salzburg to Venice and this year from Porto to Lisbon.
While last year’s ride became fondly known as The Epic One after a freak blizzard meant the women had to be ferried off the top of Austria’s famous Grossglockner, 2017 was all about heat and height – some 8000m over 500km.
So far this year, PedElle has raised more than £34,000 for Coram, the UK’s oldest children’s charity.
To find out more about the ride, register your interest for next year’s event or donate, click here.
Confidence and camaraderie
Nowhere else do you have three days to spend time with women at different levels of seniority in the industry. PedElle is a great way of breaking down barriers and giving women the confidence to work together to achieve a common goal.
Then of course there is the riding – three days of cycling between two cosmopolitan cities, from Porto to Lisbon, through beautiful countryside, taking in some amazing climbs, speeding down alpine-like descents and generally enjoying the buzz of being in a peloton. And if that isn’t enough, the amazing crew at Club Peloton provide support on and off the road.
The most rewarding part of PedElle was watching every single person in the peloton overcome their own personal challenge. Some have completed all five PedElle rides, while others only purchased a bike three months ago. All, however, were united by the common goal to raise money for Coram, complete each day and finish in Lisbon. The commitment to succeed and camaraderie was overwhelming, as were the friendships made along the way.
Charmaine Rees, senior asset manager, Derwent London
