TWO MEN who decided to undertake a 500 mile bike ride on a whim will be raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as they travel across Scotland over 11 days.
Wayne Bates, 41, and Mark Mellor, 30 are avid cyclists who often cycle more than 90 miles every weekend and they felt that they needed a challenge. After learning that Mark had previously completed a cycle challenge, Wayne decided he wanted to give one a go.
“Mark did John O’Groats to Land’s End last year and I decided that I wanted to do a long bike ride so after a few drinks we decided to book the North Coast 500,” said Wayne, of Rose Grove, Wombwell.
“It took us five hours to plan it but when we did we decided to do it for a cause so chose the Yorkshire Air Ambulance because we have had family members who have had to be airlifted to the hospital and also because of the man (Steve Croft) who collapsed at the Barnsley match.”
The ride will take eleven days and will take Wayne and Mark through the Scottish Highlands.
Wayne said: “We organised it to that we start and finish at Inverness and have a day off in the middle to rest and do a bit of sightseeing. We are hoping to average about 50 miles per day which should be OK but obviously when you’re riding 50 miles every day it will get tiring pretty quickly.
“People usually do this route in motorhomes or on motorbikes so I think to cycle it will be challenging as it is a very hilly route. Mark and I do cycle a lot usually, every weekend we cycle around 90 miles together and I started cycling to work which is great for my health.
“I think because we both cycle a lot we will be OK but 11 days of cycling will take its toll.”
Mark and Wayne will begin their eleven day journey on Sunday and are hoping to raise £1,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, to donate visit justgiving.com.
