North Sea Cycling Challenge
We are thrilled to be offering a brand new overseas trek, the North Sea Cycling Challenge.
The ride will take place from 7 to 9 September 2012 with cyclists visiting three countries in three days – France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Only 30 places are available so if this sounds like your kind of event you must act quickly!
About the event
Participants will be taken to Dover by coach on the afternoon of Thursday 6 September 2012. From Calais they will be driven to Dunkirk for an overnight hotel stay.
Friday will start with breakfast and a briefing before we cycle north through coastal France, crossing in to Belgium and arriving in the lovely city of Bruges after approximately 50 miles. Our hostel is near the city centre, allowing for plenty of sight seeing in the ‘Venice of the North.’
On Saturday we will ride to the Netherlands, covering approximately 40 miles in total. The day will include a ferry crossing of the Westerschelde, with much of our cycling following coast routes. We will spend the night in a hostel in Domburg, a seaside town in Zeeland.
Sunday will see us cycling along the world-famous dyke system across Zeeland before a further ferry crossing takes us to the Dutch mainland. We will come close to Rotterdam before bearing west to Den Haag, the provincial capital. This will be our longest day, covering approximately 78 miles, and we will celebrate the successful completion of our challenge at the end. Accommodation will once again be in a hostel.
On Monday morning we will enjoy a leisurely breakfast and sightseeing then ride approximately 15 miles to Hoek van Holland for the ferry to Harwich, where our coach will meet us.
The route has been designed to give us plenty of time to enjoy the stunning scenery we will pass through, including coastal nature reserves, dykes, islands and traditional Flemish villages. Most of our riding will be on well-established cycling routes and welcoming attitude of the French, Belgian and Dutch people to cyclists will ensure each day is a pleasure.
Although the route is flat, the wind in the coastal areas we will be cycling through is notorious, especially in Zeeland. If it is behind us we can expect easy rides, but if it is against us we will feel every mile as we fight the forces of nature! The climate is temperate and in early autumn we should not experience any extreme weather.
A support vehicle will travel ahead of the group to carry luggage and prepare lunch. Mechanic and medical support will be available throughout the event.
Please note: all mileages will be confirmed in the winter when the event organisers will be undertaking a further detailed review of the route.
What does it cost?
We are organising this event ourselves, rather than using the services of an overseas trek company. This has enabled us to keep the costs of the trip to an absolute minimum and means that any additional income will go directly to Severn Hospice.
The total cost of the event is £1150, consisting of:
A £150 non-refundable registration donation
A further £400 to cover the remaining costs of the event
A £600 donation to Severn Hospice
It is up to riders whether they raise all of part of the costs via sponsorship or simply pay the required amount. However, by signing up for the event you will be pledging to pay the full total to us by the deadline highlighted in the terms and conditions of the event.
We will be organising training rides and social events for those taking part in the Challenge, and will also aim to provide team fundraising opportunities such as bucket collections. Sponsor forms will be sent to you after you have registered, along with guidance on making the most of online giving websites. We will also be able to produce additional materials such as posters and tickets if you plan to raise the funds by organising fundraising activities such as a car boot sale or car wash.
What next?
If this sounds like your kind of event, sign up today. Interest in this event has been extremely high and with only 30 places available we expect it to fill very quickly. Places cannot be reserved and registrations will only be accepted when accompanied by the £150 registration donation.
To sign up, please read the terms and conditions of the event. By registering you will be indicating that you accept these and will be commiting to making the specified minimum payments. Please note, you must be aged 18 by 7 September 2012 to participate in this event.
You can then sign up here:
If you have not done so before, you will need to create a My Severn Hospice account, then complete the registration process for the North Sea Challenge.
We cannot guarantee that everybody who submits a registration form will be accepted on to the event as demand is likely to be so high. However all applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have been successful we will send you a full information pack for the event, including a detailed itinerary and sponsor forms. If you have not been successful we will arrange for your payment to be returned to you.
If you have any questions about this event please email appeals@severnhospice.org.uk or call 01743 354 450 in normal office hours.
