UK Cloud Magnets “The Grand Tour 2024
Sadly after being hit by a car and knocked off his bike during stage one and then only being able to cycle 46km’s of stage two Mick has had to return home due to severe knee pain. This charity bike ride will now be postponed till next year.
After the extreme heat wave at the beginning of September last year while cycling through Europe with temperatures on most days reaching 38C it was decided very early on that our Grand Tours in aid of the British Heart Foundation would be kept closer to home for the next few years.
Mick will be cycling solo this year due to Paul his cycling buddy breaking 2 ribs after a bike accident and his healing period overlapping the start date for this year’s once again totally unsupported epic charity bike ride.
Mick has set a three year challenge of cycling the coastline of England which for 2024 will set off from Lands End cycling up the western coastline and finish in Gretna Green over a period of 9 cycling days with a few well earned rest days thrown in mid journey.
In 2025 the start line will be Gretna Green crossing over to Newcastle and cycling down the Eastern coastline finishing in Kent and then 2026 starting in Kent cycling along the Southern coastline and finishing back at Lands End.
Training for this year’s 1,300km charity bike ride has been virtually non existent due to Mick’s work pattern of 12 hour shifts of 7 days on and 2 days off as a Recovery Truck driver so every mile is going to be very tough indeed.
Mick does not believe in defeat and with your support, following the yellow dot tracker, tuning into his live feeds and seeing the British Heart Foundation Just Giving charity page swell each day will give him the determination and strength to reach the finish line in Gretna Green.
Full Route
(please click on map for full scale image)
Stages
1. Mick will set off from Lands End on the 1st Sept and cycle 142km to Boscastle which includes a grueling total ascent of nearly 1600mtrs.
2. The 2nd Sept will be almost a duplicate of day 1 with a distance of 143km and a total ascent of 1700mtrs to reach Minehead.
3. A slightly longer cycling day on the 3rd of 146km to reach Newport although the terrain will not be as lumpy during this stage the leg muscles will be already feeling the fire.
4. After 4 days of intensive cycling I will finally arrive in Carmarthen 137km away where a rest day has been included.
5. On the 6th Sept Mick will set off once again but will not be looking forward to the punishing 2,113mtr total ascent and 168km ride he faces during what will be one of the hardest days to get to his next hotel in Porthmadog.
6. Leaving Porthmadog on the 7th Sept for a long 151km but only 660mtr total ascent should be fairly easy although the strains of the ride will definitely be starting to show and the loneliness of cycling solo for all those past miles will be mind destroying.
7. After spending the night at Chester Mick will cross the Mersey from Birkenhead to Liverpool then cycle through Southport and Preston to reach Blackpool 144km’s away.
8. After another rest day in Blackpool I will set off on the 10th Sept for the penultimate days ride to reach Millom a very short 129km away but still facing a 1,100mtr total ascent.
9. The final day will at last be here and although I’ll only be cycling 145km to reach the finish line in Gretna Green I will be taking the more mountainous route through the Lake District for some stunning scenery pics but this will also involve 1480mtr’s worth of extra climbing to hopefully by the early evening on the 11th September see the completion of UK Cloud Magnets “The Grand Tour 2024” in aid of the British Heart Foundation.
You can follow Mick’s daily progress by using the Live Tracker which will be active during the whole journey where you can see him moving in real time.
If the yellow dot is moving fast I’m probably speeding downhill although the flip side is that if it is moving very slowly I’ll no doubt be in a lot of pain climbing some steep hills.
Become a member of UK Cloud Magnets Facebook group and you can tune into the Live Feeds at the end of each cycling stage and/or send Mick a friend request on Facebook to also tune into his cycling live feeds.
The Just Giving link will take you directly to their website where you can donate as much or as little as you can afford and by all means either share this web page or the Just Giving page to spread the word of a 55 year old man cycling 1,300km up the west coast of England for a charity close to many people’s hearts.
Thank You All in advance.
Mick