Banbury man aims to cycle over 600 miles in two days for hospice fundraiser

Experienced long-distance cyclist and director of local independent opticians Walford and Round, Jonathan Walford, will push his body and his bicycle like never before when he sets off for the ultradistance bicycle race on Thursday June 22.

Having previously raised over £3,000 for the Adderbury-based hospice in 2016, Jonathan aims to better that and raise £4,000 to provide essential equipment and services for the specialist care centre for adults with incurable illnesses.

The 1,000-kilometer race sets off from the Warwick Sports Club and includes 10 checkpoints that riders must visit in order to circumnavigate the midlands, south, and south-west of England before returning back to the start.

The race is entirely unsupported, meaning participants will need to bring food, drink, clothes, spare tyres, and equipment with them, and which routes they take to hit the checkpoints is their decision.

Jonathan said: "This challenge is another test all together. I am aiming to complete it in one go without rest or sleep, and if things go to plan and I have no major incidents, I hope to be fairly competitive. Yes, I am now closer to 50 than I am 40, but I feel this may be the start of longer-distance races in the future.

"Primarily, it is to raise money for the Katharine House, whose founder is a patient of ours at Walford and Round Opticians, but also to promote cycling as one of the best activities to enjoy, keep you fit, and get people out into the lovely countryside of which we are lucky enough to be a part of."What makes this challenge interesting is that I am not 100% sure I can do it, but one thing is for sure I will give it a good go!"

People can follow Jonathan’s race efforts on Dotwatcher.cc, where he will be sporting the number 60 cap. To donate to Jonathan’s JustGiving fundraiser for the hospice visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jonathan-walford

For more information on the race visit https://www.solsticesprint.com/