To help support the Bike to Care en Bourgogne campaign please go to the Just Giving page here.
In three weeks time 100 brave members of the wine and hospitality trades will be pushing themselves to the limits in Bike to Care en Bourgogne, a charity cycle ride aimed at raising substantial funds for the hard-hit hospitality sector. The Buyer’s Peter Dean joins one of two Hatch Mansfield teams that will be cycling two 100km circuits in Burgundy on consecutive days one in the Côtes de Beaune and on in the Côtes de Nuits.
There will be 11 teams in all including a team of French sommeliers led by Manuel Peyrondet, a team of French chefs led by Guillaume Gomez, teams of chefs and sommeliers from Canada, Denmark, the United States and one from Harlan Estate. A team of Burgundian winemakers will also participate including Bertrand de Villaine, Guillaume d’Angerville, Thibault Gagey and Pierre-Yves Colin.
Bike to Care en Bourgogne is an initiative led by Maison Louis Jadot and its UK agent Hatch Mansfield following them witnessing the emotional and financial impact that COVID has had on colleagues within the pub, restaurant, hotel and catering sectors of the hospitality industry. Although there are eight international associations benefitting from monies raised, the UK beneficiary is Hospitality Action UK, a charity set up in 1837 that has been giving help, advice and support to those suffering physical, financial, mental health and addiction problems.
Hatch Mansfield’s managing director Patrick McGrath
On May 9th and 10th the only ones suffering will be the riders which, for the UK teams includes Jorge Gertrudes, Luke Harbor, Tim Batchelor and Jack Evans from The Pig Group; Guillaume Glipa and Slade Rushing from Louie Restaurant; Richard Ball and Richard Davies from the Calcot Collection; Danny Pecorelli from Exclusive Collection; Joanne Taylor-Stagg from the Athenaeum Hotel; Nicholas Davies from the Langham Hotel; Rob Flinter from the Park Plaza Waterloo Hotel; James Hiley-Jones from Greenclose Hotels; Mark Calver and Patrick McGrath from Hatch Mansfield, Patrick Schmitt from Drinks Business and Peter Dean from The Buyer.
The UK target has been set at £35k with Hatch and Jadot underwriting all costs so that every penny donated goes to Hospitality Action UK, as Patrick McGrath explains:
“Bike to Care en Bourgogne is a good project to support because the monies raised will help support hundreds of people across the world who work in the hospitality sector and who have had a very tough time over the last two years. 100% of the money raised will go to Hospitality Action – all the travel expenses, hotel costs, meals in Burgundy will be met by Louis Jadot and Hatch Mansfield.”
Mark Calver and Joanne Taylor-Stagg leading the peloton
So how did the project come about and why Burgundy?
“The project was the brainchild of David Stephan, the Louis Jadot export director,” McGrath explains. “He took the idea to Pierre Henry and Thibault Gagey and they were super supportive. Jadot’s wines are sold through thousands of On Trade outlets across the world so the difficulties being experienced in the On Trade are very close to their hearts.”
“And why Burgundy? Since time immemorial, Burgundians have stood shoulder to shoulder with those working in the field of international gastronomy, they are very attached to great food going with their wonderful wines. As a group they always make their wines with food matching in mind,” McGrath says.
So how can people within the industry get involved?
“They can support Bike to Care en Bourgogne by making a donation on the Just Giving page and by spreading the word.”
To find out more details on Bike to Care en Bourgogne please click here.
To find out more details on Hospitality Action UK please click here.
To help support the Bike to Care en Bourgogne campaign please go to the Just Giving page here.
