The Great Milk Stout cycle ride sets off this Sunday 9 September from the showground in Pateley Bridge in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Organisers are urging as many participants as possible to register online at www.gmsr.co.uk ,and with rider numbers steadily growing the event is expected to attract a good turn out.
Mike Holt, chair of the Great Milk Stout Ride said:
We’ve seen a boost to the numbers of people signing up to do the ride and help Macmillan in the last few weeks, including lots registering as teams, which is great news.
We hope that on the day itself we’ll have lots more riders taking part and tackling one of the three routes on offer. And riders and non-riders alike are more than welcome to stay around for an afternoon of great family entertainment and live music in the showground.
The Great Milk Stout Ride is one of the largest annual charity events in the Dales, regularly attracting hundreds of cyclists and fundraisers from across the North of England to take part. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the ride, which has raised more than £450,000 for Macmillan since it first started in 1993.
This year, participants can choose from three different routes: the X-treme 28 will see riders tackle some of Nidderdale’s most demanding hill climbs, while the Full Monty offers a 20-mile ride along a route that takes in beauty spots such as Brimham Rocks. For younger – or less intrepid – cyclists, the Half Litre ride provides a scaled-down, ten-mile alternative with its fair share of hills and plenty of fantastic scenery.
Mike Holt added:
The Great Milk Stout Ride is an institution and we’re proud that it has grown to become upper Nidderdale’s largest fundraising event. To celebrate this year’s 20th Great Milk Stout, we’re urging as many people as possible to get on their bikes and take part.
The cycle ride was born out of a challenge to see who could raise the most money for charity among the regulars at the Birch Tree Inn at Glasshouses in 1993. It was decided to donate the money raised to Macmillan Cancer Support, whose nurses provide care for cancer patients, and as a memorial to a local Glasshouses man, and friend, John Woodhouse, who had recently died from cancer and whose family had received essential support from Macmillan.
