The Foundation conquers Bayeux
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By SBF Webmaster in General Published: Sunday, 07 June 09 - 08:43 PM (GMT) Last Updated: Monday, 03 August 09 - 03:48 PM (GMT) |
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The Foundation conquers Bayeux
Slowly, wearily but with a deserved sense of achievement, 37 supporters of the Steve Bernard Foundation emerged from the dilapidated arrivals hall at Poole Harbour on Sunday. All 37 were greeted by an assembled group of friends and family, rightly proud of their not inconsiderable achievement over the previous three days.
These thirty seven men and women, many of whom had never before rode a bike for more than 10 miles, had just completed an epic journey from Bournemouth on the South Coast of England to Bayeux some 90 miles along the Normandy Coast in Northern France and back again in aid of the foundation set up in memory of local sports-man Stephen Bernard. 
The ride had been suggested by Steve’s father Tony just over a year ago, and was laughed off as something that was beyond the foundation in organisational terms and unthinkable for all but a few of our amateur supporters. However, after months of detailed planning and just a few reality checks, the party assembled at Poole Harbour late in the evening of Wednesday 3rd June. Whilst it felt oddly like the first day at school, so diverse was the group in its makeup, any angst quickly subsided as the group enjoyed a casual beer aboard the Cherbourg-bound Barfleur.
Having docked in Cherbourg, the group set out on the 63 mile route along the Normandy Coast to Grandcamp Maisy, where our tented accommodation was meticulously set up by our support team of Chris and Jules. The route which seemed to have taken in each hill in the Normandy area had asked a lot of the cyclists but as the afternoon passed, small pockets of tired participants arrived at the camp very ready for some well deserved rest and relaxation.
The following day saw the final run into Bayeux, along a route which took in the World famous D-day Landing Beaches. Unintentionally, the ride had coincided with the 65th anniversary of the day which would bring world leaders including Barrack Obama and Gordon Brown to the same region of France the following day. The whole region was overrun with war enthusiasts from across Europe adorned predominantly in American war apparel and driving the impressive vehicles which had supported the incredible effort some 65 years prior.
Having posed for a commemorative photo in front of Bayeux Cathedral earlier in the day, the group paid an emotional visit to both the British and American War Cemeteries. Both are truly evocative places. The scale of loss and hurt which is made scarily evident by the number of perfectly kept headstones at the American war memorial at Coleville-sur-Mer is indescribable. The sense of loss suffered by the friends and family of the nearly 9,400 young heroes laid to rest here is unimaginable and was made all the more poignant by the sense of loss which still remains following Steve’s tragic passing some 3 years previous.
Following the visit to the emotive war memorials, the party returned in small groups to Grandcamp Maisy for a second night. The majority seemed to have benefited from a slightly less gruelling second day and proceeded to the local karaoke bar for a cheeky pint or two. Saturday saw the final major leg of the journey back up the Normandy coast to Maupertus-sur-Mer just five miles outside of Cherbourg for an evening of presentations and celebration. First however, we had to conquer the same hills which we had loved speeding down two days previous.
The welcome party at Poole Harbour was a welcome sight for weary eyes and summed up perfectly the level of support which we received for the duration of the trip. Local radio station Fire Radio offered the ride substantial media coverage including interviews along the route whilst the ‘Tour de Bayeux’ was also afforded great coverage in the French media. This trip truly caught the imagination of everyone who we met both along the route and in the run up to the event. As time moves on, people of course do the same. Therefore it is vital to the foundation that Steve’s name remains at the centre of everything which it does. The support of the media and through it the local community is essential in ensuring that the foundation continues to prosper.
The foundation would like to thank:
The Solent Group, the premier sponsors of the ‘Road to Bayeux’.
The Hendy Group who supplied two support vehicles and Chris Steele and Julian Hiscock for driving them and setting up camp.
Primera for providing us with a mechanic for the trip. Our thanks go particularly to James Horton.
Jon Kilburn who sponsored the bike ride t-shirts
Fire Radio and the Daily Echo for their coverage of the event.
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