Team Pant(h)ers minus 1

Well the weather held for us :) :) so Team Pant(h)ers headed out on the bikes.  It was a boys only cycle with Tony leading the way, and Ande & Will along for a good ride.  Lucja was back at the hotel still recovering from a massive effort on Sundays London Marathon, though snuck out for a sneaky 6 mile easy ride herself to stretch those weary muscles.

The team made it to the outskirts of Wolverhampton without a hitch following route 81.

Bumped into our "support team" member, namely Natalie - unfortunately there were no refreshments on offer (Cup of tea next time perhaps Nat!).  Never mind, on we ploughed..... Our return route was slightly off course...took a couple of wrong turns but made it back safe and sound, and most importantly dry!  Except for the sweat of course!

Out again today.....

April Spring Showers

After a dry afternoon in Telford we thought 'we'll take a chance', and headed out for a training ride to Shawbury.  As soon as we got our kit on, the heavens opened up, so we were drowned rats by the time we made it to Telford Train Station from the Park Inn Hotel!  Not to be deterred we set off and eventually the rain did subside.  Glorious views along the way of all the fields of yellow, set off with the grey skies, it did look fantastic. 
With Deb, our tag along rider for the night, struggling with a slow puncture, Tony and I (Lucja) took off ahead to send back Nina in the rescue vehicle!  Whilst Tony & I quickly defrosted in the warmth of our friends, Nina & Fiona's, home with a couple of very hot cups of coffee and some dry, warm socks; Nina was out to pick up Deb.  With all of us back together and raiding the wardrobe for dry attire, Lucja was kitted out in new favourite Wild and Striped thermals.  Wow!  A new range of fashion to keep me warm, rather pleased to find out they were founded in New Zealand! 
Suitably refuelled after a super tasty sausage casserole with jacket potato, followed by a cheeky New York Cheesecake; Tony and I hit the road back to Telford.  The wind had dropped so we thought we were in for a nice ride back, which it was until we hit flood waters just before Wellington, too late to turn around we were up mid-thigh is some rather unsavoury smelling water.  With a nice layer of some form of grease and now completely soggy shoes and socks we made it back after a total of 33 miles to a lovely hot shower and warm clothes, forgiving all the tribulations and already planning our next venture out!

Sweating it out at spin class

A slightly belated blog, but I think we have still been recovering from Monday nights exertion at Spin Class.  I thought I would 'treat' a couple of my fellow cyclists to a gruelling spin class at Nuffield Health on Monday night.  The instructor didn't let me down and came out with a classic class of everyone's favourite - hills, and not just hills but hill sprints!  The team did well, no-one dropped out, passed out or flaked out!  Red faced and very sweaty we finished in high spirits...until we hit the change rooms to find out there was no hot water, but Tony was complaining he was too hot, so what better way to cool down than a cold shower!  Stay tuned for more updates from the team.

Fluorescent Overload, the Pan(t)hers take to the Road

Suitably kitted out with high visibility jackets, helmets and a good sense of humour, not to mention water resistant skin, three intrepid members of the Park Inn Pink Pan(t)hers set off for their first training ride several weeks ago.  Ready and willing to face high winds, buffeting rain and the first installment of saddle sore.  Ok, so that's slightly exaggerated... apart from the saddle sore ...

Lucja Leonard, Deborah Bennett and Tony 'Pink' Riches

On Yer Bike!

It's time for the Carlson Rezidor UK Cycle Relay 2012!

Our employees are getting on their bikes for a mammoth cycle relay, covering over 1300 miles and most of the UK.

From Aberdeen, our team will work in groups to visit all 32 managed Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels, finishing in Southend-on-Sea.

Why are we doing this? It’s part of our commitment to Responsible Business – promoting a more environmentally friendly mode of transport, encouraging our employees to improve their fitness, and importantly; to support local charities.

The aim is to raise at least £30,000 for causes close to the hearts of our hotels – please support us!

Park Inn Telfords team is made up of Lucja Leonard, General Manager; Tony Riches, Sales Manager; Deborah Bennett, Revenue Manager; William Ford, Conference & Banqueting Supervisor; and Andy Evans, Housekeeper.  We will be cycling the leg from Telford to Cardiff via Birmingham over two days on the 13th & 14th May 2012.