Lee Carroll is a director of five businesses, and any spare time he can afford is spent preparing for, or taking part in long distance cycle rides

I AM a director of five businesses: publishing, app and mobile web designers Crosby Associates, Rachel’s Russian Hair, in partnership with my wife, and employee benefit companies UK Work Benefits, Parking Scheme and Bike 2 Work Scheme.

I enjoy long distance cycling as an escape from the stresses of managing my portfolio of businesses.

I started cycling seriously in 2009 after doing a charity London to Paris bike ride for the Everton Foundation.

The bike ride helped the foundation to raise money for a range of sports-related disability programmes and community projects throughout Merseyside, and for me, this was a great, added benefit.

The 330-mile ride took four days and the team battled extreme weather and steep hills, but the great camaraderie and sense of achievement spurred us on.

I felt really great after I’d finished the bike ride.

I have always kept fit and enjoyed exercise, but while training and taking part in this charity bike ride, I really got the cycling bug.

My most recent charity bike ride was Paris to Geneva in September, to raise money for an extremely worthwhile charity, Cyclists Fighting Cancer.

This is a gruelling 335 miles over hilly terrain, travelling over 80 miles a day.

The scenery is beautiful – we travelled through rolling hills, woodland and rural plateaux.

Although, with this route, the most demanding part of the ride is towards the end where we had to tackle the hair-pin bends of the high mountain pass, Col de la Faucille at 1,232 metres.