Fed gets behind ‘Tour De Aky’
23 July 2024
“Aky is at the forefront of it all. He’s there in spirit, he keeps me pushing through every mile,” says a Federation member who, for the past six years, has organised an annual bike ride in honour of his best friend, who took his own life.
PC Pierre Olesqui remembers exactly where he was that day. The day he looked down at his phone to see dozens of missed calls from his best mate’s sister.
“There are certain moments in time, you remember exactly where you were. I’d been swimming with the kids and I was getting changed and saw the missed calls from Aky’s sister. I felt like I’d been hit with a sledgehammer - but I had to hold it together for the kids,” says 45-year-old dad-of-two Pierre.
“That news rocked my world, it rocked so many people’s worlds.”
Mick ‘Aky’ Atkinson, a North Yorkshire dog handler, took his own life in 2018. Tragically, he was just 37 and left behind a partner and a young family.
“I kick myself every day that I wasn’t aware of how he was feeling. He was my best man, he was my best mate - how didn’t I know?” said Pierre, “But I needed to do something - for Aky, and to get other people talking about how they are feeling.”
In 2019, Pierre launched the very first ‘Tour De Aky’, an event organised to not only honour his best friend but to get people talking about mental health, while raising money for charity.
Now in its sixth year, the ride has raised more than £90,000 in total, with dozens of cyclists continuing to take part.
Poor weather
“It’s 106.6 miles - a distance selected in honour of Aky’s collar number, 1066,” explained Pierre.
“The first year we held the event, we had around 70 riders take part, this year we had 128 sign up. I thought we’d do it once, and then people would lose interest, but the opposite has happened.”
This year’s ‘Tour De Aky’ took place on Saturday 13 July and once again started in Woodlesford, Leeds. The route included locations that would have meant something to Aky.
“The ride is all about him,” continued Pierre, who admitted this year was the ‘toughest ride to date’ due to the poor weather.
“He was a huge Rhinos fan, so we go through Headingley, and we also go past Elland Road, to mark his passion for Leeds United.
“It was really tough this year though, because the weather was so awful. But it was Aky that kept me going. I felt him there with me. I felt his own drive and determination - and that got me over the finish line.”
Pride
This year North Yorkshire Police Federation sponsored the event, providing ice creams for riders, with the branch’s welfare van en route supporting participants.
“Having the Federation behind the event is massive, and so much appreciated,” continued Pierre, who explained that the branch badge was on the riders’ tops.
“I’ll be eternally grateful for the support the Federation shows. It meant a lot to have the branch’s badge on our tops - I was proud to be riding wearing their badge.”
Determined to see 200 riders take part next year, Pierre said that he will ‘carry on organising the event to raise money and raise awareness of mental health’.
“We need to get more people talking,” he said, “We need to stop the stigma around mental health, we need people to open up - especially men.
“Talking is a free tool, a tool that’s not utilised enough. ‘Tour De Aky’ gives people the chance to get on a bike and open up to one another.
“Aky was always the loud one - no one could ever have known he was in that headspace. So if this helps anyone, even just one other person, it’s worth everything that goes into organising it.”
The event raises money for mental health charities Mind and Andy’s Man Club as well as Yorkshire Air Ambulance which Aky supported.
© Copyright 2019 Police Federation All rights reserved