TOUR DE MANC: 100 Mancunian Cyclists Take On The Ten Boroughs in Manchester’s First Sportive

Tereza Pevna | 16th June 2016

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ON SUNDAY 12 June 100 cyclists took to the roads of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester for the first Tour De Manc.

Organised by local businessmen and cycling enthusiasts, Danny Franks and Tony Rubins, to raise funds for Haematology and Transplant Support, which supports patients and carers at The Christie, and Forever Manchester, which funds and supports community projects across Greater Manchester.

The event, which was not for the faint hearted, consisted of a 100-mile route and a 100km course, both setting off from Prestwich, crossing through all 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester. The rides, which were especially created to take in the best of the region whilst challenging riders took an average of between five and eight hours for the cyclists – and of course the Manchester weather didn’t let them down, it rained some of the way!

Danny signposted the whole 100 miles himself and was on hand to cheer every one of the riders across the finish line. Riders reported that the surprise tough point was Werneth Low in Tameside which was a bit more of a hill than expected but the Hare & Hounds pub car park provided a welcome food stop and an amazing view to reward the effort.

Danny Franks said; “We had a plan, we wanted to make it tough, fun and scenic; we didn’t want to make it simply a fun ride but a tough route that would attract the region’s serious cyclists for a challenge around Manchester – and I am delighted that we certainly achieved that. It was a brilliant day with a fantastic atmosphere.”

Tony Rubins said; “We’d really like to thank everyone who supported this first Tour De Manc.  We have received high praise for our food stations in particular for which we are very proud.  From the top nutrition from Science in Sport, to homemade scones and jam baked by Colin Berry  to the multitools donated by Virgin Active and the puncture repair kits from TFGM our supporters gave generously and made the event stand out against other events of this kind we hope.”

Carl Sukonik, cyclist and photographer, said; “The ride was well organised and planned. Showing some of the best roads round the Manchester area where bicycles and cars can share the road equally. The route was challenging and so was the weather. At the end of the 100 miles the legs were tender but the great food and drink hospitality made the pain dissipate.” 

You can see Carl’s film of the ride here.

Facts

£3,000 was raised for the two charities – to be split equally between them.

In total, 100 cyclists covered 7700 miles around Greater Manchester.

40 volunteers gave their time for charity working on the four food stops, photography and start and finish line. Also, KingKog bike shop provided free mechanic support and we also had five physios/massage therapists looking after the weary riders post ride.

Cyclists consumed:

200 scones and 4 pots of jam donated by Colin Berry, Mrs Newman’s 50  sausage rolls, Nat’s 40 pasties; 200 flapjacks donated by Let’s Fress deli, 48 cupcakes from Sharon Charnley, lemon cakes from Loren; Emma’s boxes of cakes and brownies; Tour de Manc logo cakes donated by Jonscakes, 40 granola bars, over 140 bananas from Noone & Sons and 200 G jells, 100 Go energy bars, 250 litres of energy drink and 100 recovery Rego shakes all provided by Science in sport .

Plus numerous cakes and bakes from our supporters at Norden Bowling and Social Club and free pie and chips from Tom at The Bridge chippie in Norden.

We had support from Manchester Spin Factory, offering free spin sessions for our riders to get fit, King Kog offered free pre-ride bike checks and Carl at Bikefittingrooms.co.uk donated money for each bike fit he did for the riders.

The date for next year’s race will be announced on 1 July on the website – www.tourdemanc.co.uk .

The Haematology and Transplant Support (HaTS) charity is a registered independent cancer patient support charity. It’s overriding objective is to provide and improve upon the support and care provided to patients and families of the Haematology and Transplant Unit (HTU), situated in The Christie Hospital.

The Tour De Manc formed part of the first Forever Manchester Week.

Forever Manchester Week (Friday 10 June to Friday 17 June 2016) is one week of fundraising to celebrate and support community activity across Greater Manchester.  Forever Manchester Week provides a fantastic opportunity for people across Greater Manchester to get involved, come together and raise a fat pile of cash for the communities where we all love, live, work and play.

Forever Manchester is inviting businesses, schools, community groups and individuals to create an amazing week of fundraising mayhem and request that you are as ‘daft, Manc and creative and you damn well like’.  So whether you want to host a ‘Manchester’s Got Talent Day’, a ‘Manc Walk around the office’, a Manchester related Food and Drink Day, a Manchester related Quiz, or organise a street party, visit www.forevermanchesterweek.com and download your fundraising pack.

For more information visit: www.forevermanchesterweek.co.uk

#FMWeek16