Round-Britain cycle pair due to arrive in Caithness
TWO long-distance cyclists are due to arrive in Caithness this weekend on the latest leg of an epic ride around the British coastline.
Hugh Roberts, managing director of the Sweetspot Group, which organises the Tour of Britain race, is tackling a 6700-kilometre Great Tour with his friend Robin Young.
The event is to raise awareness and funds for health charities and causes and to help create an annual fundraising ride around a recognised and waymarked round-Britain cycle route from 2021 onwards.
The fundraising target is £500,000.
Hugh and Robin are recreating the 64-day ride to fill the gap between when the Women’s Tour and Tour of Britain professional cycle races should have taken place had they not been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They set off from the Isle of Wight on July 4 and most legs of their journey involve covering 100km or more, going anticlockwise.
The pair are due to cover the Dornoch to Wick stretch this Sunday, before continuing along the north coast to Tongue on Monday. They plan to complete the challenge on September 5.
The Great Tour, created in 2010, involves circumnavigating Britain by bike while never losing the sight, the sound, the smell or the sense of the sea.
Past editions of the Great Tour in 2010 and 2015 have supported a range of health charities, including the Macmillan and Anthony Nolan. More information about the Great Tour can be found at www.thegreattour.co.uk and there is a JustGiving page.