The National Velodrome in Manchester recently played host to the official launch of GM Fundraising’s 2016 GMF Border2Border Cycling Challenge.
Taking place over 11 days next June and spanning 2,016 miles between Vancouver, Canada and Tijuana, Mexico, the ride is being described as the ‘toughest yet’, with up 92,295 feet of climbing and temperatures in excess of 40º.
Gary Morton, founder of GM Fundraising commented: “This really is the toughest challenge we’ve ever set ourselves and it promises to be a daunting trial both mentally and physically. To put it into context, during the Rome2Home ride in 2010, the team tackled the infamous Mount Ventoux, which is one of the Tour De France’s toughest ascents of more than 5,000 feet of climbing over almost 13.2 miles. There are three climbs on the B2B route that are bigger than that Mount Ventoux climb. We will cross seven mountain ranges and much of the ride will be taking place in the absolute wilderness of mountains and deserts including the Cascade Mountains, Columbian Plateau, Sacramento Valley, Californian Coastal Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, the Mojave Desert and the San Antonio Mountains en route from Canada to Mexico. Even excluding the 92,295 climbing from start to finish, the ride is the equivalent of riding from the London Eye to the Manchester Velodrome, each and every one of the 11 days.
“During the launch event, we made it clear that riders must be at the peak of fitness by next June. Without the necessary advanced training, there is no way even an experienced cyclist would survive this challenge.
“And let’s not forget why we’re putting ourselves through this: the fundraising target for the Border2Border Challenge is £100,000 and with industry support, we would love to surpass this. Every penny raised goes to Hope House Children’s Hospices because the riders and support team each cover their own costs. We’re also delighted to welcome Deceuninck as our proud headline sponsor and with the support of this leading global brand, we aim to make the 2016 B2B journey a safe and enjoyable experience for all involved, while ultimately raising much needed funds for the families looked after by Hope House.”
To follow the progress of the team during their 12 month training, visit www.gmfundraising.co.uk/border2border or follow @gmfundraising on Twitter, #GMFB2B.
Each of the team also has their own Just Giving page and there is as a general team one at www.justgiving.com/teams/GMFB2B
