Most people can’t imagine cycling the entire length of the Island three times in a single day.But businessman Neil de Ste Croix doesn’t have to wonder what such a feat would feel like. He successfully completed a 66-mile journey through England last weekend while taking part in the Baker & McKenzie Charity Cycle Challenge 2012.Mr de Ste Croix, general manager of trust and corporate services at Bermuda Commercial Bank, decided to test his mettle to raise money for two UK charities.He raised a total of $600 — for Richard’s House, a children’s hospice for terminally ill young people, and Macmillan Cancer Support, which provides bereavement and financial assistance to families of children with cancer.“It was rewarding from the fact that it was supporting two good charities. I also enjoy cycling and the [Bermuda Commercial Bank] supported me in this cause.”He also wanted to take part to honour the close relationship between his firm and Baker & McKenzie in the UK.“Through my participation, Bermuda made our mark and to go that far to do a ride was noted,” he said.The four-and-a-half hour ride started in Twickenham, Southwest of London and continued until the 40-odd riders reached the market town of Arundel in the South Downs of West Sussex.“For us there were two stops along the way for refreshments so it wasn’t a killer pace, but it was comfortable,” he said.Mr de Ste Croix said he was able to take in a lot of this summer’s Olympic course, including Box Hill in Surrey.He said some of the hills were challenging to ride for someone used to Bermuda’s relatively flat terrain, and the weather in England was hotter than expected.Nonetheless, he had the opportunity to take in some of the stunning British greenery and festivities leading up to this past weekend’s Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.“What was beautiful was the fact that the countryside in the UK, they just had a month of rain, so everything was lush and green. The South Downs was incredible and picturesque, just really beautiful countryside.“It was also interesting to see the boom in cyclists worldwide ... and with the Jubilee coming up there as well we saw a lot of little towns putting up bunting and signs for parties.”Mr de Ste Croix has been racing on Island with Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works for the past few years.For the Backer & McKenzie challenge, he was put into a group with more experienced cyclists.They started the race shortly after everyone else and “had to ride harder to catch everyone up”.This was the first charity ride he had ever done, however his local cycling team raised money to help Jessica Lewis qualify for the Paralympic Games this summer in London.