Participants gearing up to tackle an ambitious 500 mile charity cycle have raised the fundraising stakes after successfully smashing their original £150,000 target.
Organisers of Maggie’s 500 cycle have set their sights on raising more than £200,000 to support the cancer charity Maggie’s Highlands, just weeks before setting off on the gruelling charity challenge.
Donations have continued to flood in from across the north over the course of the pandemic, despite a year-long delay in proceedings.
Cyclists were originally due to set off on September 11 last year, however, organisers were forced to postpone proceedings due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
Organisers initially set out to raise £150,000 through the challenge, however, an outpouring of community support forced them to raise the stakes to £175,000.
With less than three weeks until 40 local businessmen and women embark on the gruelling feat, their crowdfunding target is being raised by more than £25,000.
Ready, set, go
Co-lead organiser and participant Willie Gray, managing director of Ark Estates Ltd, said the team were eager to put their training to use.
“After having the Maggie’s 500 postponed for a year the group can’t wait to get started on September 6,” he said.
“Everyone has been training hard and fundraising even harder meaning we are now targeting £200,000 against our original target of £150,000.
“If we can reach our new target it would be an incredible effort in the current climate and shows the incredible generosity of the Highland community.”
Tackling Everest
Maggie’s 500 cycle challenge will see the team of 40 well known local business leaders set off on September 6 on a 500 mile circuit tackling a series of challenging routes through the Cairngorms National Park planned by Paul Easto and his team at Wilderness Scotland.
Riders will need to climb over the height of Everest, ascending some 30,000ft in five days including demanding ascents of Glenshee, The Lecht and Cairngorm Ski Centres.
The “Queen” stage and most challenging day of the challenge involves a 104mile circuit of the National Park with over 8,000ft of climbing over the two highest roads in the UK.
The challenge will begin and end in the Highland’s capital.
Ahead of the challenge, event sponsors H.I.S, O’Brien Homes, McLeod & Aitken, Focus Vehicle Rental, Graham + Sibbald, Handlesbanken, Wilderness Scotland and IBI Joiners have presented participants with personalised gilets to wear during the challenge.
A test of grit and determination
Ex-Commonwealth cyclist, Kenny Riddle of Bikes of Inverness, who is a co-organiser and participant praised participants in putting themselves through the paces to support the charity.
He said: “Taking on a 500 mile challenge like this in just five days in an incredible act of endurance for an amateur cyclist let along a professional.
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“Doing 100 miles in a day is do-able but to get on your bike every day for the next four days and do another 100 miles each day in some of the most challenging road cycling terrain in the UK will take a great degree of determination.”
He added: “It’s been inspiring seeing the journey some of the riders have gone on from when we first met to launch the event two years ago. In between very busy schedules, the group has been training hard, though, and I think everyone is just keen to get going now.”