Charity seeks riders for Yorkshire cycle challenge

Cycling challenge, RIDE The Dales, will take place in Yorkshire, this summer and children’s charity Action Medical Research is calling for riders to sign up now.

The event on Sunday 2 June offers a choice of Cool 41 mile, Classic 70 mile, Champion 100 mile routes.

The routes, which set out from Queen Ethelburgas Collegiate, close to York, take in some of the area’s finest cycling, with the Champion route tackling the infamous climb of Trapping Hill, whilst the Cool route takes riders on a more scenic journey past Fountains Abbey and through Ripley.

This event is part of the charity’s popular RIDE Series of one-day bike rides that take place in fantastic cycling locations across the UK. Entry is just £36.50 for the Cool route, £46.50 for the Classic route, and £48.50 for the Champion route, which includes chip timing, food and water stations, marshals, mechanics, medals and more.

Cyclists participating in RIDE The Dales will be raising money to help fund medical research into conditions affecting babies and children.

Action Medical Research is a UK-wide children’s charity which funds desperately needed research to tackle the diseases that devastate the lives of so many of our children. It has been funding medical breakthroughs since it began in 1952 including helping to introduce the first polio vaccines in the UK, developing the use of ultrasound in pregnancy and testing the rubella vaccine.

The charity is driving forward children’s research into conditions including epilepsy, prematurity, meningitis, cerebral palsy, brain cancer and some rare and distressing conditions. Learn more about Action’s work here: www.action.org.uk.

Among the research the charity is currently funding is a study taking place at the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds. This study is investigating if advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can help diagnose coarctation of the aorta (a narrowing in the body’s main blood vessel), earlier so newborn babies can be treated faster, reducing the period of uncertainty for parents, and enabling quicker treatment decisions.

Head of Events at Action Medical Research, Felicity Louden, says, “We are excited to be back in Yorkshire for our toughest sportive of the season, and we hope that cyclists will join us for what promises to be another great day in the saddle and help drive forward vital medical research for babies and children at the same time.”

For more information and to register, please visit www.action.org.uk/thedales