At 7:30 a.m. on Monday, 12 cyclists pedaled down the road, intent on riding from the offices of IBC in London some 300 miles all the way to RAI in Amsterdam, arriving Tuesday evening for the IBC Show.
Not just designed for super-fit broadcasters to show off, the ride is also a charity event. Last year, its first year out, the IBC ride raised 36,000 pounds for Vision Charity. This year donations will go toward both Vision and VICTA charity. (Both organizations provide support to blind and partially sighted children and young people, and their families.)
And who should be front and center, participating in this noble challenge? None other than our NewBay colleague Mark Hallinger, editor and associate publisher of TV Technology Asia/Pacific and TV Technology Europe, who was also one of only two masochists, er, brave souls from last year who came back for a second consecutive beating, er, triumph.
Reporting from Amsterdam, Mark tells his contacts at Radio World that he’s quite sore now (and that, in case anyone wondered, the cyclists crossed over the water from Dover to Dunkirk via ferryboat).
The whole event was live streamed at ibc2ibc.com, where you can find plenty more information and pictures.