Getting 'kicked' along Route 66

Jun 5 2007 By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

THEY should have been getting their kicks on Route 66.

But instead, four intrepid motorcyclists from Birmingham encountered driving snow, freezing temperatures and even hailstones during their mammoth charity ride across America.

Undaunted, the bikers, including three senior Birmingham college staff, completed their 2,400-mile trek from Chicago to California on hired Harley Davidson motorbikes.

And they will enjoy the results of their efforts when cheques totalling £30,000 will be presented next week to Macmillan Cancer Support and local charity Promise Dreams, which supports terminally ill children.

The four bikers, who followed the journey in the Route 66 song recorded by The Rolling Stones in the 1960s, comprised South Birmingham College principal Alan Birks, the principal and vice-principal of City College - Tony Henry and Mike Hopkins respectively - and friend Neil Harding.

Their mammoth trek took them through St Louis, Oklahoma City, New Mexico, and Arizona, before arriving in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles.

Alan said: "We had a great time and, surprisingly, kept to the schedule. The only downside was the freak weather we encountered.

"A cold weather front came into Chicago as we were setting off and followed us virtually the whole of the way.

"We had all these visions of baking hot sun but, instead, we got hailstones. And by the time we got to Albaquerqe in New Mexico there was six inches of snow.

"The Mojave Desert, which is one of the hottest places on the planet, was only 3 degrees above freezing."

At one point, the falling snow caused the road to start to freeze over, forcing the bikers to stop till the weather eased.

Alan added: "We never thought we would get anywhere near the £30,000 that we raised. We were surprised at the level of support we received.

"It's succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

The route took the riders, who own their own motorcycles, across eight states and three time zones.