In September 2024, Nick Hirst from Pendle Slot Racing, has challenged himself to cycle the iconic long-distance route from 'Land’s End to John o’Groats'. This spans the length of mainland UK from Cornwall to northern Scotland. 968 miles in 9 days! Nick is also raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Nick Hirst
I have always had an interest in cycling from an early age and this is not the first ride I have done for Charity, but it is by far the biggest.
My first charity ride took place back in 1997 with my lifelong friend Andy. We were 13 at the time and took part in an organised ride called the Pendle Bikeathon to raise money for a Leukemia research charity.
It was a 30-mile ride and quite hilly as it took in some of the country roads around Pendle. It was the biggest distance we had done in one go, and we completed the challenge, raising over £100 for charity.
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We cycled the whole length of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Liverpool to Leeds, covering 130 miles in 15.5hrs on mountain bikes, and raised nearly £2500 in the process.
In 2015, I bought my first road bike and for a few years I covered a reasonable distance, both commuting and weekend rides with my friend Jack.
In 2017, on the 21st of May, along with Jack and Jonny, I took part in a cycle event, and we cycled on behalf of ‘Macmillan Cancer support’. It is a Sportive fittingly called the ‘Struggle Dales’ and covers over 100 miles and just shy of 10,000ft of ascent.
Since that ride in 2017, I have completed it again in 2018, 2021 and 2022, as well as several other 100 mile endurance sportives such as the Tour of Lancashire twice, Struggle Moors and Struggle Pace both based in North Yorkshire. The Moors are definitely the hardest one I have ever done.
Throughout the latter part of 2022 and the whole of 2023, I have been hit and miss getting out on the bike due to undergoing an operation which meant I was off my bike for a while as well as growing family and work commitments. On top of all this, I was and still am struggling with my mental health. Support from my family and friends is helping, but I still felt like I needed something to focus on going into 2024, so I signed up to the biggest sportive I could think of doing in the UK.
2024 started off well on my bike and I got some good miles in, but February set me back with an illness that lasted for 4 weeks and kept me off my bike for 6 weeks. Finally, in March, I was back on the bike but felt so unfit and struggled to motivate myself to go out. Eventually, I decided to start riding with the Green Jersey Club based in cl*theroe and I have been a member for the last 3 years and started to get out more.
May came soon, which is a busy month for us at work and towards the end of May I tagging on with a group training for the LEJOG ride which did not go well for me. It was a really hot day, the heat really got to me and then, to top things off, my Cassette started skipping. On this ride I realised I was so far behind on training and my fitness was just not there. The drive home from the club that day I was so disappointed with myself, and it really got to me, even to the point where I was thinking of dropping out of doing the ride.
Instead, I decided to think positive, and that ride was the wake-up call I needed. I have 3 months to get the miles and hills in and get some weight off, but the main inspiration is that I will be raising money for a worthy cause which helps people in less fortunate situations than myself.
Over the last few years, I have lost several family members and friends to Cancer, due to this, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible support Macmillan provides, helping people through what is the most difficult time.
The ride I will take part in this year is the toughest thing I will have ever done on a bike as I will be riding from Lands End to John ‘O’ Groats. In just 9 days we will cover a total distance of 968.3 miles, which averages out at 107.55 miles per day with an accent totaling 53,135ft.
Below is a breakdown of each stage.
THE ROUTE: STAGE BY STAGE
Day 1 Lands End - Okehampton
Distance: 105.7miles - Accent: 8236ft
Day 2 Okehampton - Bannerdown Bath
Distance: 113.5miles - Accent: 8091ft
Day 3 Bannerdown Bath - Ludlow
Distance: 94.3miles - Accent: 5318ft
Day 4 Ludlow - Haydock
Distance: 107.7miles - Accent: 3180ft
Day 5 Haydock - Carlise
Distance: 116.4miles - Accent: 5558ft
Day 6 Carlise - Hopetoun House
Distance: 105.0miles - Accent: 4144ft
Day 7 Hopetoun House - Bellabeg House
Distance: 112.3miles - Accent: 7332ft
Day 8 Bellabeg House - Balblair (Bonar Bridge)
Distance: 109.3miles - Accent: 6735ft
Day 9 Balblair (Bonar Bridge) - John ‘O’ Groats
Distance: 104.1miles - Accent: 4541ft
Total Distance: 968.3 Miles (1558.3km)
Total Accent: 53,135ft (16,196m)
