Each month we like to spotlight a recently finished Story Terrace book to showcase the range of titles and types of books we produce.  For February, we’ve brought you the story of Ian Bagshaw and Mark Dickinson and their book, It Never Gets Easier, You Just Go Faster: Cycling Tour from Milan to Nice, 2014.  Bagshaw and Dickinson came together to commemorate the outstanding dedication, and physical triumph, of 35 individuals who helped raise over £100,000 for charity. Read on…

A common cause, a sense of humour and a raised glass can go a long way. After Dan and Danny passed away within months of each other, their friends and families proudly united through a shared purpose; doing something that they both would have loved to be a part of, to raise money for two charities established in their names.

It all started when Mark Dickinson and Ian and Gary Bagshaw took on the challenging Tour De Force cycle event in summer 2013. Inspired, they devised the idea of creating their own cycling event and splitting the money raised between the charities that mean a huge amount to them: The Daniel Bagshaw Memorial Trust and The Danny Fullbrook Fearless Foundation.

With the help of the PIE (Passion in Events) team, they worked on planning a cycling route from Milan to Nice: 400km of gruelling hills and Mediterranean coastal beauty. By January 2014 they had started recruiting friends, family, colleagues and anyone else they could persuade, bully, cajole or blackmail along the way.

Of the thirty-five riders that were eventually conscripted, many were inexperienced; recruited at family barbecues, lunch dates or over a pint in the pub. A quarter of participants didn’t even have their own bike to begin with, and many found themselves struggling with sweat, pain and accidental U-turns. But through stories shared and friendships forged, every rider finished the punishing final day of the ride; not only achieving personal greatness, but also helping to raise over £100,000 for two fantastic causes.