Hi everyone,  

Another week, another Tour Ride. This time round it was the London Ride on Saturday and speaking on behalf of the whole Charity I can say that a fantastic day was had by all. Almost 1,000 cyclists descended to Newham for the day to get on their bikes and raise awareness of prostate cancer, which affects 36,000 men every year in the UK. 

It was great to see hundreds of children taking part in the ride and they all seemed to be really enjoying the festival atmosphere. We had unicycles, tandem bikes and wheelchairs all taking part in the ride and luckily for everyone, the sun shone all day.  

Joining our lovely cyclists were some very well known faces. Rudolph Walker OBE, of BBC One's Eastenders fame got on to gear on a specially designed blue Gocycle bike and was joined by his long-lost onscreen son, Nicholas Bailey, who rode alongside Rudolph the entire way. TV presenter and DIY guru Tommy Walsh also got in to the cycling spirit as did 'I'm Alan Partridge' star David Schneider and Heart FM DJ Matt Wilkinson.  

Next up is the Stoke-on-Trent Tour Ride this Sunday and we are busy doing our last minute preparations to make sure that this one is as successful as the previous two have been. We are sorting out rider numbers and chips, goodie bags and sandwiches for the feed stations and a whole range of other tasks that go in to organising an event of this scale.  

Even if you do not own a bike, you are more than welcome to come on down and cheer on our other cyclists. We are expecting around 2,000 people to take part in the three rides, so it should be quite a spectacle. We will have a charity tent and there will be a team of volunteers on hand, so please do come over and say hello.

I will look forward to seeing you all there.  

Katie

Read more

Hi everyone, 

Well what a week it has been. I am not sure how the pro cyclists are feeling but everyone at Tour Ride HQ is shattered! We have been on the road all week following The Tour of Britain race from Rochdale to the South West. We have been at each race drumming up support for the two Tour Rides that are coming up - in London and Stoke-on-Trent.

It has been really exciting watching all of the teams battling it out at each stage and it is incredible to think that the riders are cycling around 100 miles per day, every day, for a week. Hats off to them.  

We are now gearing up for London this weekend (Saturday 18 September) and Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday 26 September. We have thousands of cyclists signed up to take part but we are still hoping for more. The beauty of the London ride is that people are getting the chance to test out the route of The Tour of Britain two hours ahead of the pro riders in the actual race. It is open to people of all ages and we are really encouraging families to saddle up and enjoy the 12km course. We are expecting the ride to be really good fun.   

The Stoke-on-Trent ride will also be fun, but in a slightly different way. There will still be a family friendly ride but there will also be a gruelling 161km route and a tough 80km route to tackle as well. This time cyclists will be able to try out the same route that the professional riders tackled in Stage Two of The Tour of Britain, which saw the Sky Pro Cycling Team taking victory.

The Pro and Challenge rides are guaranteed to push cyclists to their limits. We will all be there on the day, cheering on our tired and weary riders and offering them goody bags, medals and food to help them recover after the ride.  

Even if cycling is not your thing, there are still ways to get involved. Our riders will need a lot of support on the day and we are hoping to fill the roads with cheering squads of well wishers. If you fancy watching a spectacle of cycling, then please do come along and get involved.  

Hope to see you all there 

Katie

Read more

Hi everyone,

Well, all I can say is...what a ride! The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides kicked off with a bang yesterday.  Almost 2,000 cyclists hit the South West for a day of intense riding.  More than 900 cyclist pitted themselves against the professional cyclists and tackled the 175km route from Minehead to Teignmouth and we had great feedback from everyone about what a tough but fun route the ride was.

Professional cyclists Zak Dempster, Dan Craven, Ben Greenwood, Jonathon Tiernan Locke and Darren Lapthorne, all from the Rapha Condor Sharp team, took the opportunity to try out the route of The Tour of Britain ahead of the race later this month. We heard reports from several of our sportive riders about strange flashes of black whooshing past them along the route..... We are not yet sure whether this was related.

Around 500 cyclists joined Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson and Smooth Radio DJ Mark Goodier to tackle the 70km Challenge Ride and we were hugely impressed with how quickly many of them completed the race. What an amazing achievment especially as they all had to cycle up the infamous Peak Hill. 

Almost 100 people saddled up for the Family Ride in Teignmouth (despite the rain and wind) to enjoy a gentle 2km circuit by the sea front. We saw so many young children riding along on their bikes, and it really was lovely to see them all so excited at being a part of the rides and getting their medals and goodie bags at the end. Who knows if there is a future Kristian House among them?

A huge congratulations and well done to everyone that took part. Look out for the pictures coming online soon.

Next stop..... the London Tour Ride on Saturday 18 September. If you enjoyed the South West and are interested in getting the family along for a 20km closed road circuit, please do get in touch at cycling@prostate-cancer.org.uk

Hope to hear from you soon,

Katie

Read more

British Road Racing Champion 2009 and Rapha Condor Sharp rider, Kristian House, has put some last minute words of wisdom together for cyclists bracing themselves for the South West Tour Ride this Sunday. The racing star will be joining 1,700 other riders in the region as he limbers up for the 175km Pro Ride through some of the toughest terrain the South West has to offer.  To take a look at Kristian's advice, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/TPCCUK#p/a/u/0/WNgEntWfRbw

Read more

Don't worry, we are not suggesting that all you lycra lovers out there opt for radical surgery to streamline yourselves in to the form of Kristian House. Instead you can show your support for the Rapha Condor Sharp boys as they take to their wheels this month and don a specially designed mask of your heroes to wear with pride.  

The professional cycling team have created a series of life like masks of some of their top riders for people to put over their faces as they cheer on the cyclists. The idea is for people to wear the masks as they watch the Tour Rides and The Tour of Britain so that as the pro riders whizz by they can see themselves and feel supported. Alternatively ,  you can don one of the masks and try to fool people that you are the real thing (all you need to do then is make sure that your cycling matches theirs - should be easy enough...er maybe not!).

The masks have been sent out to thousands of people and we really hope that you all show up wearing them.  To get your hands on one of the masks visit http://www.rapha.cc/tour-of-britain-pack

Read more

Hi everyone,   

Three days to go until the first Tour Ride!!!  

Online registration for the South West ride has now closed but fear not, we are still accepting late registrations  the day before in Honiton and Minehead (2pm until 10pm) and at all three locations on the morning of the ride . We are especially keen to get as many families as possible along on the day, so if you wake up on Sunday morning and are at a loose end of what to do with the kids, why not come along and join us in Teignmouth for a friendly and fun day out? Everyone is welcome so please come on down! 

Have you all had time to check out the new viral from comedian David Schneider? The 'I'm Alan Partridge' star (if ' smell my cheese' means anything to you, you will know who I am talking about) has put together a really funny video for the Tour Rides. David is saddling up for the South West Challenge Ride and buddied up with Rapha Condor Sharp rider, Dean Downing, to make the spoof video where they take to their bikes for a cat and mouse race around the Herne Hill velodrome. 

David is urging people to 'watch the funny and donate some money' and you can take a look at him and Dean in action here  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZJqnNnjm_M David's fundraising is going really well and we are over the moon with how many of you are making a huge effort with your sponsorship.

If you haven't started fundraising yet, don't worry there is still time and we are on hand to offer you any support that you need. Simply email cycling@prostate-cancer.org.uk for tips and advice.   

Hope to see you there.  

Katie

Read more

Hi everyone,

I can not believe I am saying this but there are only 12 days left until the South West Tour Ride - 12! We have been building up to this moment for the past year and suddenly it all seems to have gone so fast. 

You can not imagine the huge amount of work that goes in to organising an event such as this. It has been immense but we have loved every second of it. The biggest task has been drumming up support for the events, and we have contacted thousands upon thousands of organisations, from bike stores and factories to cycling clubs and schools and from businesses and sports clubs to social clubs and councils. We have held sign up days at companies and taken to the streets handing out our leaflets and publicity materials. So many of you have helped us out by spreading the word about the events and we do believe that we have been successful in creating a real buzz around the events.  

We have managed to secure a lot of press coverage about the Tour Rides and many of you have been in touch to tell us why you are taking part in the events . Whether you have been personally affected by prostate cancer or you fancied setting yourself an epic challenge - it has been really inspiring listening to all of your stories. If you believe that you have an interesting story about why you are saddling up this September, please do get in touch and let us know. You can contact us at cycling@prostate-cancer.org.uk  

There has also been a lot to think about surrounding the actual logistics of the Tour Rides themselves. Feed stops, marshals, goodie bags, supporter points, health and safety, bike storage, clear signage. You name it, we have it covered. Everything has gone really well and we are sure that all of you who have signed up are set for a brilliant day (unless the infamous Peak Hill halts you in your tracks!).

We will all be there on the big day of course. You won't be able to miss us - we will be sporting our Charity T-Shirts and waving our Unite ByCycling flags. We will also have a gazebo at the events, with information about the disease and the work of the Charity. If you can just about manage it after the ride, please do pop by and say hello - we would love the chance to congratulate you in person.  

Stay tuned for more news from Tour Ride HQ and in the meantime - good luck with your training.

Katie 

Read more

Hi everyone,

Yet another week has flashed by and hundreds more of you have signed up to take on one of the Tour Rides. We have been blown away by all of your support and enthusiasm for the sportives and we are busy finalising the logistics of the day and making sure that you have everything you could possibly need to get you through the ride. Well almost everything .... no crazy suggestions of solar powered unicycles or helicopter wings for your handlebars please!  

We gave some lucky cyclists the opportunity of a lifetime this weekend to go on a ride with some of the boys from the Rapha Condor Sharp team. Peter Richardson and his pals from Rockwood Pigments UK were awarded the rare opportunity to ride with their heroes as their prize for putting the largest team together in last year's inaugural The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride in Stoke-on-Trent. The gang saddled up on Saturday and met up with leading cyclists Chris Newton, Dan Craven, Ben Greenwood and British Road Racing Champion 2009 Kristian House.

The group went for a two hour bike ride through the beautiful countryside of Cheshire and were followed by a Team Car and support from Rapha Condor Sharp Team Leader and veteran ex British Champion cyclist John Herety.  From all accounts, Peter and his team had a fantastic day and managed to put the pro riders through their paces! I won't lie and pretend that everyone at Tour ride HQ wasn't green with envy at the thought of saddling up alongside the Rapha Condor Sharp team and cycling off in to the sunset together. Oh well, back to business.  

In other Tour Ride news, we are extremely excited to hear that comedian, David Schneider, of Alan Partridge fame has something very special up his sleeve in the lead up to the sportives. David will be taking part in the 70km Challenge ride in the South West and is hard in training for the big day. He is planning on filming his cycling efforts and posting them online for all to see. I can't say anything more than that for the moment, but rest assured you are all in for a treat made in comedy heaven. Stay tuned for more details.  

That's all from me for now, have to dash to a Tour Ride sign up day at one of our corporate partners offices.  

Take care, 

Katie  

Read more

Hi everyone,  

We've had another busy week here at Tour Ride HQ. Support for the rides is flooding in and thousands of people have signed up to take part already. The deadline for entry is fast approaching, so if you still want a place but haven't confirmed yet, make sure you put your pen to paper soon! Simply follow this link http://www.tourride.co.uk/rides.asp Anyone who signs up before Monday 9 August will be entered in to a prize draw to win two places to ride in an official race car on an actual stage of the Tour of Britain, speeding just ahead of the pro riders at the front of the pack. This is a once of a lifetime opportunity and cycling fans will be green with envy for whoever wins! We are even throwing in VIP hospitality for the day, so what better incentive is there to sign up early?  

We were very excited to see a four page spread in the latest issue of Cycling Weekly all about the South West Tour Ride. A few weeks ago John Herety, manager of the Rapha Condor Sharp team and his old cycling buddy Graham Jones, the Tour of Britain route director, tested out the ride for us. They gave the route a big thumbs up but warned that it would definitely put even the keenest of cyclists through their paces. Pick up the latest copy of Cycling Weekly to read the full review of the route.  

We have had a host of organisations getting involved in the events and signing up staff to take part over the past couple of weeks. Vision Express has come on board and will be making it down to the events ,  as will Marks & Spencer and British Airways. We are holding sign-up days at companies around the UK and we are getting a really good response. If you would like your company to get involved in the events,  drop us a line at cycling@prostate-cancer.org.uk 

In other news, the guys down at the South West Bike Academy have been amazing as ever and are busy visiting schools across the region to tell children about the benefits of cycling and how they can get involved in the South West Family Ride. The Great Tour is in full swing and our very own Stephen Oatley from the Charity will be travelling up to Scotland next week to ride a stage of the 64 day route. Good luck Steve! We can't wait to hear all about it.   

Lots of you have been in touch to tell us about why you are taking part in one of the Tour Ride events and it has been really inspiring to listen to your stories. So many of you have been personally touched by prostate cancer and we have people of all ages taking part, from toddlers on the back seat of their parent's bikes to pensioners who have never ridden a bike before in their lives. Whatever your reason for taking part, rest assured that you are making a huge difference to the lives of men and their families affected by the disease and we are hugely grateful for your support.  

That's it for now but stay tuned for further updates coming your way soon. In the meantime, keep your feet on the pedals and good luck with all of your training.  

Katie

Read more

Hi everyone,

My name is Katie Robbins and I am The Prostate Cancer Charity's Tour of Britain project manager. I will be bringing you all of the behind the scenes news at Tour Ride HQ as we gear up for the sportives which are getting closer and closer. The Tour Rides kick off in September, which means we have around six weeks left to get as many people signed up to the events as possible. Thousands of you have already put your name down to take on one of the rides, either in Stoke-on-Trent, London or the South West and we are really excited to have created such a buzz.

For a lot of lycra lovers, the unique appeal of our Tour Rides is the fact that people get to take on a leg of The Tour of Britain, which the pro riders will be tackling a few days later. Well, I have some exciting news for you all - not only do you get to ride the same route as the pros, but you also get to ride it with them. We are thrilled to confirm that those cool riders in the Rapha Condor Sharp team have all signed up to take on the South West Tour Ride on Sunday 5 September, along with their female counterparts in the Rapha Ladies team. We can also tell you that the Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta team, fresh from Tour Series victory, are going to be testing out the Stoke-on-Trent Tour Ride on Sunday 26 September, ahead of the actual Tour of Britain ride.

If you fancy pitting yourself against the likes of Kristian House and Ed Clancy, then the Tour Rides are giving you the chance to take them on at their own game. Who knows, you might find yourself speeding past one of the pros as you descend those notoriously steep hills.

If you have already signed up to one of the rides, why not persuade your friends and family to join in as well? There really is something for everyone - whether they want to take on House and Clancy or fancy a gentle pedal and a fun day out with their families - everyone is welcome. 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK and the Tour Rides are really helping to get people talking about the disease. We need as many riders as possible, so please do get in touch and show your support today.

Make sure to watch out for my next post!

Katie

Read more