Edinburgh2London
If you have been following our social media then you would know that during the past few days we’ve been involved in supporting Missing People UK in completing their annual cycling challenge from Edinburgh to London with our friends at Ride2Raise.
Our chief tester Carbon Dave and I were in charge of the ride on the road supported by the fantastic team at Ride2Raise. For me it was my first time riding the route (which may have been evident once or twice, see picture!) and even though I took my groups through a bit more of the country than they hoped it certainly didn’t quell the riders enthusiasm for what would turn out to be an fantastic trip that was littered with personal achievements and raised an awful lot of money for a fantastic cause.
Our first day took us From Edinburgh to Newcastle. Apparently 110 or so miles which I made into 130 or so miles, but details details… The climb into the Lammermuir Hills was quite daunting and a real challenge for all involved. The extra mileage and the tough terrain made it a very long day for all involved and we got back to the hotel in fading light.
Can you spot the deliberate mistake?
Newcastle to York was not the easiest day. A cold and wet start combined with a tour of the city center and outlying suburbs put a few more miles onto the morning before we stopped for lunch and tackled the roads into the North Yorkshire Moors passing some beautiful countryside and exiting the National Park with our decent through Helmsley. We stayed in York and graced the revolving dance floor in Pop World before heading the next day to a relatively simple stage to Nottingham where brief glimpses of a rolling peloton were seen somewhere near Sedgefield!
The North Yorkshire Moors
The following day was spent cruising the villages and hamlets of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. My group became quite the experts on churches, especially ones with five spires, in a day which was took in some fantastic scenery some of which familiar to a few of our number but an absolute surprise to others!
The run into London came from the Garden City of Letchworth and was far and away the most stressful part of the trip! But we got the group into the Tower of London on time and safely to be greeted by a huge group of supporters welcoming their family and friends into the finish of what was a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. On a personal note it was great, not only to get people from A to B but to help people really accomplish something that they can really look back on with pride. We took out with us a couple of genuinely novice cyclists and to see them cross the line was really satisfying.
Press call with a great bunch of people. Well done everyone!
A massive thank you must go to Polly, Jo and Dan from Missing People UK who organized a cracking event and kept the riders going every mile! Especially Dan! The riders raised 40k for Missing People which will go a long way to help them carry on doing the great work that they do. (www.missingpeople.org.uk)
I worked with Ride2Raise who offer unique, tough but enjoyable multi-stage cycle challenges in the UK on behalf of charities and corporate companies of all sizes (www.ride2raise.co.uk)
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