As part of its ongoing charitable commitment to the UK’s Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST), Leonardo organised the Ride of Steel (19-22 July 2019) in aid of the charity, with staff from Leonardo’s UK sites cycling from their site to converge on Sheffield, ahead of the UK Invictus Trials opening ceremony.
Every year, the UK’s Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST) plays a powerful role in the recovery of injured and sick serving personnel and veterans. This sporting activity rebuilds their self-confidence and competitive spirit, through snowsport activities which give them the opportunity to build a new identity as a winter sports competitor.
Leonardo is now in its tenth year of supporting AFPST, working to make a lasting contributing to the freedom, rehabilitation and transformation of the wounded, injured or sick military personnel and veterans. In 2014, Leonardo organised the Ride of Thrones, cycling from Edinburgh Castle to the Tower of London, and in 2017 the company organised Spirit of Challenge, with staff taking on a variety of personal sporting challenges to raise money.
In 2019, Leonardo organised the Ride of Steel event to raise money for this worthwhile cause. From Yeovil, 20 riders cycled 232 miles to Sheffield, 7 riders from Basildon cycled 238 miles over 4 days, a team of 12 riders from Luton and Lincoln cycled more than 180 miles to Sheffield in three days, 7 cyclists undertook the 220-mile ride from Southampton and two rode the 200 miles from Bristol.
The final day saw all 49 Ride of Steel cyclists ride en masse to the Sheffield arena ahead of the UK Invictus Trials Opening Ceremony on Monday 22 July. There are strong links between AFPST and the Invictus Games, with several AFPST athletes having competed in past Games.
