FULL MARKS FOR 10IN10!
17 June 2006 - Buell UK

10 Capital Cities in 10 Days Completed Successfully for BLISS

Tom Johnson and Rob Dransfield have braved gale force winds, rain and random stray animals to successfully complete their pan-European trek to ride through 10 capital cities in 10 days, raising over £30,000 for premature baby charity BLISS aboard two Buell Ulysses XB12X motorcycles.

Leaving on May 27 from London, and riding through Amsterdam, then on to Berlin, Warsaw, Budapest, Sofia (Bulgaria), Skopje (Macedonia), Rome and Bern (Switzerland) before finally ending in Paris 10 days later, the two men endured torrential rain and strong winds for the first six days of their 4,000 mile journey, and then again for the last two!

Tom, 30 from Sheffield said: ''This was the hardest thing Rob and I have ever had to do in our lives. No amount of planning can prepare you for what it’s like trying to cover those distances, over roads that would have challenged a 4x4 vehicle let alone motorcycles, in such a short space of time.

''When you’re looking at a map, it looks do-able to ride 400 miles in what we estimated to be around 12 hours a day. But when you actually ride through mountains and on roads in Eastern Europe that have less traction than a roundabout flooded with diesel, it becomes more like 16 and 17 hours per day – sometimes more. It really was a gruelling journey, tears were flowing at times and our resolve was severely tested.

''But we’ve done it, and it feels amazing. The bikes performed superbly in some of the most testing conditions I’ve ever seen, and we stayed the course. Rob really saw me through it, keeping a sense of humour at the worst of times. And we owed so much to so many people we knew we had to complete the challenge. I missed my two boys so much, I wanted them to be proud of me when we came back home. All that’s left is to keep gaining support from everyone to get the total money raised even higher for BLISS, which was what it was all about.''

Jim McConnel, Buell brand manager for the UK and sponsor of the 10in10 adventure, said: ''Congratulations to the both of them. It was never going to be an easy journey but they’ve really pulled through for both themselves and the charity. We’re very glad the Ulysses performed well and helped them complete the trip, it was a learning curve for us to see the motorcycle put through so much as well!''

The Buell Ulysses XB12X is an adventure sport bike, created using the renowned Buell XB platform technology of fuel-in-the-frame and oil in the swingarm to achieve mass centralisation, and is designed for long-distance touring such as the 10in10 adventure. With equipment including the three-piece Buell luggage and Garmin Quest satellite navigation, the Ulysses is a rugged tourer that entertains as well as conquers huge miles.

For more information on the 10in10 adventure visit www.10in10.co.uk

For more information on the Buell Ulysses XB12X motorcycle call 0870 904 1450 or visit www.buell.co.uk

www.buell.com

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