The Great Weston Ride Takes On Prostate Cancer
Following on from its association with The Tour of Britain, the premier cycling event in the UK, The Prostate Cancer Charity is now also set to become the official charity partner of the Great Weston Ride (www.greatwestonride.com), one of the UK’s newest and most appealing recreational challenge bike rides.
Taking place on Sunday July 17th 2011, this exciting new challenge ride starts in Bristol and offers participants a spectacular West Country route through the Mendips and across the Somerset Levels before finishing by the coast in Weston-super-Mare. The first event in 2010 was a resounding success as it sold out in advance and then received rave reviews from those lucky enough to take part, and entries for the 2011 Ride are already well on their way to surpassing last year’s numbers.
Riders rising to the challenge in 2010
The Great Weston Ride is aiming to become one of the UK's favourite mass-participation challenge bike rides and it is designed to cater for riders of ALL abilities and levels of experience, and the organisers have announced that the event will support The Prostate Cancer Charity over the next three years, encouraging as many riders as possible to raise vital funds for the cause as they take on the challenge of completing the Ride.
The Prostate Cancer Charity's Fundraising Manager, Katie Robbins, said:
"We are thrilled to be partnering the Great Weston Ride for the next three years and we’re really looking forward to sharing in the growth and development of this spectacular challenge ride. Cycling is a great way of increasing fitness levels, which is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing the risks of cancer. There are currently 250,000 men living with prostate cancer in the UK and funds raised from the event will help the Charity to improve the lives of men and their families affected by the disease.
"The Charity's passion for cycling has grown through our partnership with The Tour of Britain and we are keen to build on these foundations and branch out even further into the sport. The Great Weston Ride is going to become one of the best rides in the country and we are delighted to be a part of it. We are eagerly awaiting the event in July and hope that as many cyclists as possible take to two wheels in support of the Charity."
Ride Organiser, Darren McKimm, commented:
“We’re delighted to welcome The Prostate Cancer Charity on board as the Great Weston Ride’s official charity partner for the next three years. It’s a very worthy cause, and one that we all should be more aware of, and we’d like to do our bit to help drive awareness and support for the charity.
The simple fact is that most people don’t realise quite how devastating a disease prostate cancer is. It kills almost as many men as breast cancer kills women – it’s incredible to think that one man dies from the disease every hour! – yet it doesn’t seem to have anything like the same profile or public awareness. Obviously, The Prostate Cancer Charity is on a mission to do something about this, and we’re delighted to help them to achieve their aims.
The Great Weston Ride is a fantastic challenge event in its own right but it’s also the perfect opportunity for people to fundraise for charity, so we’d ask anyone who’s doing the Ride or considering entering to also consider supporting the fight against prostate cancer”.
And an added bonus for participants is the offer from the Charity of a FREE high-quality cycling top worth around £40 in return for their support (see website for details).
The Ride is already open for entry but, as in 2010, there will be a limit on the number of riders taking part and entry sooner rather than later is highly recommended.
Further information, and details on how to enter, can be found at www.greatwestonride.com.
