The DC.CC Tour of Europe is gearing up for its departure from Amsterdam on 26 May, marking the start of a nine-day, 1700km journey to Cannes.
The cycling tour, which is organised by DPR Construction, aims to raise awareness about mental health within the industry and supports the efforts of Mates in Mind, a UK mental health charity.
This year’s event will see participants covering over 100 miles day. The route begins in Amsterdam, proceeds to Frankfurt via Venlo, and then from Zurich on day six, it traverses the Alps through the Gotthard Pass, descends into Italy, follows Lake Maggiore to Biella, passes Turin, and finally reaches Cannes after approximately 1750 kilometres and over 14,000 metres climbed.
Tom Babbington of DPR Construction, who organised the DC.CC Tour of Europe, said, “With the fast-growing nature of the data centre sector, and excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, it’s all too easy for the pressure on those responsible for designing, constructing and operating mission critical environments. Companies ask their people to dig deep – we’re asking the industry to dig deep and support this cause and riders getting on their bikes to show solidarity with those suffering.”
Discussing the new name of the event, which was previously the MW Tour of Europe, Babbington added, “In addition to the Tour of Europe, we wanted to create a greater sense of community amongst cyclists working in the sector. So we’ve started a new website, DatacenterCyclingClub.com – which we refer to as DC.cc for short – a group on Strava, and we’ll be reaching out to those working in the industry, running events and riding their bikes to see what other things we can do together to support good causes in addition to mental health.”
The data centre, despite efforts to become more inclusive, is still a male-dominated industry – particularly within construction. Mates in Mind’s 2022 Impact Report highlighted that, “Statistics have sadly shown that suicide rates in construction continue to be higher than other industries and have, in fact, increased over the last year. This is despite much greater awareness and the implementation of reactive measures in many organisations. But we know that reactive measures are not the solution.”
Steve Baker of Synergy Mission Critical, a rider and sponsor of the tour, has personal experience of these statistics. “My dad was a classic male depressive,” he said, “never talking to those close to him about his challenges, never willing to accept help.” Baker’s father’s suicide was devastating for the family: “I vowed to proactively work on my mental health: I now have close friends I can have open discussions with, and I ensure I work on my fitness. I’m fully aware there is a strong link between physical and mental wellbeing which is why I count my bike as one of my closest allies!”
Donations to support Mates In Mind can be made at the Tour of Europe team’s Just Giving page.
