A Bristol man, who broke his back in two places, is leading a team of intrepid cyclists who are riding from England to Italy in a one thousand mile charity cycle ride.

The epic ride will benefit the Shine together charity at Southmead and Frenchay hospitals.

Bristol based event organiser Dave Hart came up with the idea for the Gran Charity Giro after suffering an accident which left his back broken in two places.

After a long rehabilitation, the keen cyclist is back in the saddle and determined to raise thousands of pounds for the charity at the hospitals, where he was treated and made a full recovery.

The team will set off on 2nd July from their company offices in Stafford to Bristol, then down to the coast where they will cross to Northern France. They will cycle to Switzerland and over the High Alps via the famous Grand St Bernard Pass, arriving at their Italian headquarters in near Milan on 10th July 2011.

The event will raise money for Shine Together, and also Leukaemia & Lymphona Research and the Katharine House Hospice.

Dave Hart commented: “This is an exciting challenge, and one that I didn’t think I’d be able to do. I’m so grateful to the medical teams that helped me recover that a thousand miles on a bike really seems like the least I could do!

“Every pound raised will go straight to these charities, which are close to all our hearts and we’ve been shown a huge amount of support from our colleagues and customers. I’m so proud that my company Altecnic and Caleffi are supporting the Gran Charity Giro and helping us make this possible.”

Head of Fundraising at Shine together Trevor Reid said, “Dave’s commitment to giving something back to the hospitals is absolutely wonderful. We are so pleased to be able to support him and his crew in their fundraising efforts.”

The team is looking for sponsors to support its fundraising and details can be found at www.grancharitygiro.com.

For more information please contact Dave Hart on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it