Organised by of DPR Construction, the 1600km (1000-miles) journey will take the riders from The Netherlands to the Principality via Germany, Switzerland and France, climbing more than 8849m over the duration of the nine-day event, before ending up at Datacloud Global Congress on 25th April, in Monaco.
“The built environment is a critical part of any data centre and construction represents a significant proportion of digital infrastructure GDP," said Tom Babbington of DPR Construction, who conceived and organised the ride, says;
"The MW Tour of Europe was conceived to draw attention to the mental health crisis affecting workers in the construction sector, where a male-dominated culture is the root cause of some chilling statistics.”
According to Mates in Mind, UK mental health research reveals men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. In construction, where a macho culture prevails, men are actually three times more likely to die by suicide than the national average, with around 700 males dying each year.
In addition, there are also financial consequences associated with male reluctance to discuss mental wellbeing as stress, anxiety, and depression account for one-fifth of all work-related illnesses, resulting in an estimated 70 million sick days being taken each year at an estimated annual cost of £70 billion - £100 billion.
“We’re choosing to ride our bikes to support Mates in Mind because it’s scientifically proven aerobic exercise can reduce feelings of anxiety and potentially prevent them developing into more concerning disorders such as panic attacks," adds Babbington.
"At the same time, it’s a great social pastime which provides great opportunities to chat and share stories. I’m sure I speak for the whole team when I say we really look forward doing exactly that in a bar in Monaco on Tuesday week!”
The MW Tour of Europe connected with the German Datacentre Association as it commences the second leg of its journey in Frankfurt while the third stage started in Zurich.
Riders include: Tom Babbington of DPR Construction, Daniel Wiesenfeller of Danfoss, Paul Aguilar of Danfoss, Adam Broyad of Yondr, Steve Baker of John Sisk & Sons, David Sherrington of Danfoss, Damien Wells of Spa Communications, Damian Mitchell of DPR Construction, Mike Humphrey DPR Construction, Ellie Holland DPR Construction, Sam Harris of DPR Construction, Nicolas Carera DPR Construction, Mariana Silva DPR Construction, and Owen Murphy DPR Construction.
