RBLI Recruits Double Amputee Everest Hero For Tommy Ride

Military veteran charity Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) recruited Hari Budha Magar MBE, the first double above the knee amputee to summit Mount Everest, to join the team for their 150-mile Tommy Ride to Ypres in Belgium.

Hari cycled in the company of three former colleagues who were injured when serving alongside him in the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers, two of whom now work at the RBLI factory at Aylesford in the sign-making division.

All four men lost limbs to IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devises) in the same week while serving in Afghanistan. The RBLI duo of Tirthraj Thapa and Albin Sendang, Vinod Budhathoki and Hari were also joined by Major Govindabahadur Rana, who also served with them on their last tour of Afghanistan.

Starting from RBLI’s village for veterans, the 41-strong peloton set off and headed for a ferry to Dover before breaking camp on their first night after 64 miles in Calais, France. Day two saw them riding through Northern France via the German cemetery at Langemark. Next stop was the Allied cemetery at Tyne Cot, the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world for any war, and close to the site of the Battle of Passchendaele, where more than 500,000 Allied and German soldiers lost their lives.

After cycling the 150-mile route the peloton completed their ride at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.

Lisa Farmer, Chief Executive RBLI and it’s Social Enterprise, said: “It was an honour and privilege to have Hari join us with Vinod, Tirthraj and Albin. They are an inspiration to us all. “Hari is a force of nature and, despite having already conquered Everest, has gone on to set himself the challenge of climbing the highest mountain on every continent in a bid to prove disability is no barrier.

“A massive thank you must also go to everyone who has volunteered for the Tommy Ride, and those who donate to their fundraising efforts in support of RBLI.”

After arriving at the Menin Gate Memorial, the cyclists joined the daily service of remembrance which honours the British and Commonwealth soldiers whose graves are unknown from World War One. The 8pm service has been held every evening since 1928, with a break during World War Two, and involves the sounding of the Last Post by buglers of the Last Post Association, a local volunteer organisation.

RBLI is hoping this annual cycling event will raise in excess of £80,000 to support the work of the social enterprise and charity which provides employment, training, support and accommodation from its headquarters in Kent, and through its operations in Leatherhead and Scotland.

To donate towards the Tommy Ride fundraiser, visit www.rbli.org.uk.