A Whitley Bay man is celebrating this week after winning £400 of vouchers courtesy of a local bicycle superstore.

M. Steel Cycles, located in South Gosforth, proudly support this annual competition to give entrants the opportunity to purchase some of their high-quality produce at a minimal cost.  It was free for any member of the public to enter the competition and leaflets were available at events through-out the North East and in-store.  When the competition was drawn in September, Ralph Sort, 56, from Whitley Bay was picked at random from over 3,000 entries and named the winner.  He is now at liberty to spend his vouchers on whatever he wants, as from the extensive arrange in the shop.

Ralph Short - Competition Winner

The win came at the perfect time for Ralph:

“I was having a disastrous day before I found out I’d won.  My computer had just practically exploded.  I wouldn’t have minded that, but I had maps on there showing the routes I’d taken on my motor-biking holiday abroad.  I had travelled on my motorcycle from Holland, down the Rhine into Germany, through the Black Forest and into Switzerland and then France.  So being told I’d won the competition helped me combat the post-holiday blues and get over my combusted computer.”

Ralph’s choice to enter the competition was made completely by chance.  He was invited by a friend to an event and the M. Steels team were also in attendance.  He began chatting to Commonwealth Gold Medallist and Olympian; Joe Waugh, the owner of M. Steels about their in-house cycle team.  During this conversation Joe urged him to enter; which Ralph is thankful for now.

“We had a huge amount of entries to this competition this year and we are delighted that the winner will benefit from his prize.  We cater for both amateur and professional cycling, so whoever won would’ve benefited from the prize,” said Joe.

Ralph’s penchant for motorbikes extends to cycles, and he has already visited the shop to select his prize.  Although the bike he picks may exceed the £400 voucher, he’ll still get a top-notch model at the fraction of the cost.  He has taken several cycling holidays, his last one being a 200 mile ride from the source of the River Mur in Austria, to the Slovinian boarder.

This four day trek is something Ralph is keen to repeat.  He explains:

‘We’re planning to travel down part of the Rhine next; I found it beautiful on my last trip away.  I’ll be able to go on my new bike too, so it’ll be an even better experience.  I love going away on these trips, but my family always comes first.  I have a job as an engineer and I have two daughters, Holly and Rachel, and as a single dad looking after them is my biggest priority.”

M. Steel’s competition has definitely had the desired outcome for the company.  It has allowed them to make a generous contribution to a dedicated family-man’s hobby and helped to brightened up his day too.

Joe Waugh & Ralph Short Competition Winner