Plenty of smiles as Macmillan Cycletta returned to Bedfordshire

22nd June 2015

A mild start to the morning greeted 500 riders who were all gearing up for the fifth Macmillan Cycletta to come to Bedfordshire and the fourth time we were hosted at the fabulous Woburn Abbey.

As is the norm at a Macmillan Cycletta, we kicked off the day with the kids Scootathlon. A group of some of the most enthusiastic 4-8 year olds we’ve ever had embarked on their three laps of scooting, cycling and running before being rewarded with their well-earned Scootathlon medal.

Following the kids’ race the 70km riders were called forward to be the first participants to set off. This was the most popular distance on offer with over 200 people taking it on. Small groups were set off every 30 seconds or so to ensure the field was safely spread out once hitting the roads. These were followed by the 40km distance riders and then the 20km participants.

Plenty of smiles as Macmillan Cycletta returned to Bedfordshire2

The undulating if not hilly course was sure to be both enjoyable and a challenge for the riders. To help get them round the route participants were given the opportunity to stop at numerous feed stations throughout so they could refuel on snacks, sweets and Zipvit Sport energy bars.

Back in the event village the families and friends were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their loved ones, and soon welcomed home our first finisher; Selena Calder who finished the 20km distance in just over an hour. Selena seemed to have a great ride commenting: “I loved it! The hill at the end was a bit unexpected but the roads were really quiet and the motorbike marshals made sure cars were well behaved on the course.”

Shortly afterwards riders started finishing in their droves and amongst those crossing the finishing line were two 70km riders who even caught us organisers off guard finishing so early. Gilly Blundell and Angela Abbot completed the challenging distance in the impressive time of 2 hours 16 minutes and averaging a staggering 30km/h in the process!

Once riders had finished they were rewarded with the Macmillan Cycletta 2015 medal as well as a goodie bag provided by Liv, the dedicated cycling brand for women, which were packed with loads of goodies ranging fromLiv water bottles and socks to Spatone liquid iron supplement and a bag of popchips.

Within the event village riders could enjoy a relaxing post-ride stretch in the Recovery Zone or could really ease any sore muscles by getting a sports massage from Physio & Therapy. Also part of the village were the fantastic team of staff and volunteers from Macmillan Cancer Support who were relentless in their cheering and support of riders. They had also brought along Penelope’s Vintage Ice Cream Van so participants and spectators could enjoy a refreshing ice cream while also helping those affected by cancer, as some of the proceeds were going straight to Macmillan.

Cycletta14Scotlandx125

Macmillan, the official charity of all the Cycletta events, are hoping to raise a fantastic £23,500 from this event alone and they had plenty of riders raising money to help the great work they do. One of these was a certain Melanie Hurley who is taking on all six Macmillan Cycletta rides this year for the charity. Two down, four still to come.

Next up for Melanie and the event series is Macmillan Cycletta Scotland at the spectacular Scone Palace in Perth on 19th July. This event will feature an extended range of distances for participants to choose from including the debut of the eagerly awaited new 150km routes that are on offer at the four remaining venues this year.