St Barts Trust Relay Ride 2021

St Barts Trust and Echelon UK came together with a joint vision to create an event for the staff at St Barts Hospital. An opportunity for Echelon to say thank you for all the hardwork and dedication from our key workers, and a chance for NHS staff to relieve anxiety, encourage wellbeing and boost morale.

Global Community

We challenged the St Barts staff to take on a Relay Ride, where they had to form teams of 6 and race against each other on the Echelon Leaderboard for 75 minutes straight.

Alongside the event, the entire virtual Echelon community was encouraged to jump on the Relay Rides at home, help support the 12 teams of hospital staff members, and ride together. Many of our at-home riders supported by creating fundraising pages to complete the Relay Ride challenge, or by purchasing one of the exclusive  Echelon Relay Ride event T-shirts, with all sales profits going direct to NHS Charities Together and St Barts Trust.

Hosted in the Courtyard of the oldest hospital in London, event capacity was maxed out at 80 riders who committed to the race, the cause, the energy, and the incredible feel-good vibes!

150 Minutes of Friendly Competition

The time was drawing close to 4.00pm, the atmosphere was high, with riders ready and waiting to jump on their bikes. Taking on two 75 minute back to back classes, led by UK instructors Susanna and Rowan, the next 150 minutes were going to get tense with competition!

It was time for the first ride, with the teams first taking on Rowan’s class, quickly clipping in, setting their resistance and following our road cycling champion instructor, as he guided them up the Leaderboard. Cheers, claps, and beams of encouragement from the teams began to fill the tent. ‘You’ve got this! Keep going! Climb that Leaderboard!’ all words echoed across the Courtyard as the teams battled it out.

Finishing Strong Physically + Mentally

As the rides continued, both instructors spoke about the importance of mental health in the workplace, including the benefits of exercising as part of a healthy daily routine. Our London based duo had time to chat about lots of things during their 75 minute rides, including asking the big question of,are you a cuppa tea person, or do you prefer coffee?The banter became a delightful distraction to those who were starting to get tired legs, especially as it drew closer to 5.30pm, and the new teams began ride number 2.

After a much needed pitstop of 15 minutes following Rowan’s ride, the next St Barts teams were getting themselves geared up to tackle 75 minutes with Susanna. The energy certainly didn’t decline with the second ride, as teams were just as enthusiastic as before, all quick to encourage their team mates as they took on this challenging endurance ride. 

The Leaderboard was glowing with NHS profile images and their great team names, but also riders from around the globe gathering together to help them on their way to the top. ‘Love the NHS’and ‘Thank you NHS’, were just some of the updated statuses from our riders, all sharing their thanks to our incredible National Health Service. 

A plethora of smiles, sweaty selfies, fancy dress attire and high fives could be seen across the challenge tent, as riders rode their final minutes of class. After a burst of energy to cross the finish line, teams applauded one another for their incredible efforts for completing the Echelon Relay Ride.

Continued Support

If you missed out on getting your Echelon Relay Ride t-shirt for the event or would like to purchase one in support, please visit our website here. All proceeds from t-shirt sales will go to NHS Charities Together and St Barts Trust. 

New to Echelon? Join our global community to experience the camaraderie that the NHS staff enjoyed during the Echelon Relay Ride event.

Thank you frontline workers! To show our appreciation, we're giving you an exclusive discount. Save £110 across our full range of connected fitness equipment. Find out about our frontline workers discount here.