John Ibbotson or ‘Ibbo’, as he was more affectionately known, was
a unique and very special person. Someone who combined his passion for racing
at the highest level with a sense of fun which he passed on to anyone he came
into contact with.

‘Ibbo’ at the 2005 Wally Gimber

He raced professionally in Europe, mixing it with some of his childhood heroes,
and achieved much in his short but action packed life. After having ‘just
one more season’ in the UK, John finally retired from racing in 2003 to
spend more time with his family and start Fit-For, a thriving coaching service.

From the outset his list of clients started to grow at an amazing rate as
he somehow managed to combine the serious side of training to reach one’s
goals with a sense of fun and an infectious enthusiasm that touched all under his wing.
His success as a coach was inevitable as he never underestimated the importance
of enjoying riding a bike, of finding a good cafe and perhaps most importantly,
of great cake!

Sadly John passed away on 27th September 2005 and left a hole too large to
fill. The coaching side of Fit-For ceased but a number of his friends and clients
decided to keep the name going and run a club in his memory……..

With this in mind, on October the 14th 2007, they bring you the first of what
they hope will be many Ibbo Cake Quests.

Three distances are on offer to cater for varying levels of fitness, all starting
and finishing in John’s home of Walton on the Hill in Surrey.

Rides are denoted as:
Jaffa Cakes 60 km
Carrot Cakes 110 km
Fruit Cakes 150 km

Entry
Entries in advance, with cheques payable to: The John Ibbotson Memorial Fund
for £10, or £15 entry on the line.

Ibbo’s cake quest
C/O Sue Ibbotson
2 Mere Cottages,, Witheybed Corner, Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey KT20 5BE

Website
Enry form and more infromation on – www.Fit-For.com

BBQ
As a warm up event to get everyone in the mood, a fundraising barbecue is taking
place on September 30th. This will take place in the field behind the Fox and
Hound pub in Walton on the hill from 1.00 – 5.00pm.

Food and drink costs £10 per head or £5 for children, vegetarians
are also catered for. Everyone is welcome and with an increasing list of amusements
and entertainment planned with highlights such as the “wonky bike challenge”
and a “flying monkey competition” it is sure to bring a smile to
anyone’s face…John would have loved it!

All profits raised will go towards ‘The John Ibbotson Memorial Fund’
which aims to help support carefully selected young aspirant riders making their
first tentative steps towards racing in Europe….