Special bike race for special needs school
Simon Mottram, a successful businessman and father of an autistic teenager, has revived a storied cycling relay, writes Jeanette Wang
Success can easily go to one's head, particularly for the boss of a company that's gone from zero to £18 million (HK$208 million) in sales in a short time. But there's another side to Simon Mottram's life: when he's not running Rapha, the London-based cycling apparel company he founded in 2004, he's running after his son Oscar.
"Oscar requires 24-hour-a-day care," says Mottram, 47, of his autistic 18-year-old son, the eldest of three children. "He has no sense of danger, he's not verbal, he's in nappies. So while he's a very happy, nice guy to have around, you have to be thinking about him all the time. It is constant attention, constant stress … it's quite a grind."
Mottram speaks openly about his son, but this wasn't always the case. "What we were doing with Rapha was so different from my life with [Oscar], I didn't want to use it as some kind of soap box."
We thought it'd be nice to resurrect one of these lost classic races and use it as a vehicle to raise money for the charity
But this year, he's found a reason to comfortably talk about both: the Rapha Bordeaux to Paris, a 600-kilometre team relay ride that aims to raise £250,000 for Ambitious about Autism, the charity behind Oscar's school - TreeHouse in north London.
Mottram says he always wanted Rapha to do some charity work, but turned down all pitches seeking the brand's involvement - until someone from Ambitious about Autism came to him last year for ideas and support for a fundraising ride. "We could only be involved if we could make it relevant for Rapha," says Mottram.
Bordeaux to Paris, a classic cycling race that ran from 1891 to 1988, tied in with Rapha's focus on cycling's rich history and lifestyle. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the last race, which was stopped due to lack of funding, and the 50th anniversary of Briton Tom Simpson's victory.
"We thought it'd be nice to resurrect one of these lost classic races and use it as a vehicle to raise money for the charity," says Mottram. If all goes to plan, he hopes to hold a "lost classic" charity event every year.
Participants pay a £975 entry fee and must raise £2,500 each. In teams of four, they must finish the ride in 24 hours. There is space for 25 teams.