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Wood pledges to raise thousands for charity as Ride the North 2023 sponsor

A number of charity places are still available for the event which returns on Saturday, August 26.

A group of staff members and Ride the North Representatives standing with bikes outside the Wood office in Aberdeen
The Wood Group has been named as the principal sponsor for this year's Ride the North event. Image: Ride the North.

The newly announced sponsors of this year’s Ride the North have pledged to raise £100,000 for charity over the next two years.

The Wood Group has been named as the principal sponsor for the 2023 cycling event which will return for its 13th year on Saturday, August 26.

About 1,500 cyclists are expected to tackle the route, which starts and ends in Huntly, to raise funds for north and north-east charities.

A number of charity places are still available with keen participants asked to contact the partners, including Aberdeen Cyrenians, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars, Friends of the Neuro Ward and Charlie House, directly.

Money raised by Wood for Ride the North this year will be used to convert a double-decker bus into a mobile market to supply breakfast, snacks and school supplies for underprivileged children in Aberdeen.

Neil Innes, Ian and Lorraine Hendry and Jon Barron of Nestrans on the road east out of Inverkeithny during the 2021 event. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

Sponsorship boost

Organiser Neil Innes shared the event has faced a number of challenges in recent years, through the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, but he has kept the faith it would survive.

“The real strength of our event is that it was always well supported by local employers as well as cyclists,” he said.

“It was a genuinely difficult decision to know whether to keep the event alive during the more difficult times, but a new high in participation numbers and new support from industry sponsors has recovered any lost momentum.”

Sponsorship from Wood will allow the organisers to increase access to to the event and further support riders from partner charities.

Martin McIntyre, general counsel at Wood, added: “It’s our first time as principal sponsor and, although I’ve been a keen cyclist for many years, it will be my first time participating in Ride the North.

“I’m really looking forward to riding some of the best cycling routes in Scotland, even the hills, and to raising money for a great cause.”

Last year’s event started and finished in Elgin. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Two route options for cyclists

The 2023 route covers parts of Aberdeenshire and Moray, including Kennethmont, Rhynie, Dufftown and Rothiemay, with two distance options for participants.

Mr Innes added: “We have beautiful scenery and some undeniably challenging hills. The route we have planned for 2023 has a demanding 100-mile option and a 64-mile version which hopefully helps the event have a broader appeal.

“Ride the North is never a race – there are no winners or losers, but it’s never set up to be easy. I love to see that it has become something that brings tourism to our area.

“The pain of going up testing hills has the compensation of cakes in local villages – that’s the package.”

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