Rotarian Sandra Conway is out pedalling with her Bikeathon team on the quiet lanes around Smallwood as she trains for a new club event.
They are training for the Rotary Club of Congleton’s major new cycling fund-raiser in June for individuals and teams.
The club’s popular annual swimathon event became a victim of the virus and had to be cancelled this year.
Racking their brains to find a replacement that would encourage all the loyal swimathon supporters to take part has resulted in Rotarians coming up with a bikeathon.
It is hoped that teams comprising club and family members will join in and ride their bikes – or even their exercise bikes – for charity.
The event runs over the weekend of Friday, 25th to Monday, 28th June. The idea is to raise money and to help everyone get fit along the way.
Rtn Conway has registered her team, called Wheelies, who will saddle up to raise money for the Rotary Club of Congleton’s chosen good causes.
Fifty per cent of the money they raise will go to good causes and the remaining 50% will go to Rtn Conway’s chosen charity – in this case, Rotary, so all the money that her team raises will go to the club.
Rtn Eric Westwood is running the event. He said: “In normal times, we run a swimathon in February. This year that has not been possible, but the bikeathon follows exactly the same principle. In fact, we are hoping that the same teams that have supported swimathon over the years will join in and take part.”
Rotary is asking cyclists of any ability to register their interests on a special Rotary Bikeathon website and to seek sponsorship.
Half of the money raised through the event will be returned to a charity nominated by the participants. The remaining money will be used by Rotary to support local deserving causes.
Most exercise bikes have computers that record time and distance. For road cyclists, bikeathon is neither an organised race nor a rally and there is no set route to follow.
Teams ride wherever they want and set their own targets, which might be either time or distance related.
Sponsorship can even be a one-off donation. Getting sponsorship is easy using either an online form or a paper form that can be downloaded and printed.
Entrants need to register and read and understand the event rules in order to take part. See congletonrotary-bikeathon.co.uk
Because sponsorship money attracts Gift Aid, every £1 given by a tax paying donor is worth £1.25.
(Photo: John Gauld Photography).
