Page 56 - Lion Oct Nov 2016

Sport
56
On Your Bike!
Retford and Stowmarket Lions Clubs take to two wheels with a little help from friends and family to raise money for charity. Read how they cycled to success!
RETFORD LIONS CLUB
Retford Lions Club has dabbled in cycling events over the years but this year a particular proposition looked quite enticing. Family members are often quite involved in Lions events and it was the son of Lion John Battersby, Dominic, who offered to set up an event for Lions to help manage and support and receive the profit that the event would provide.
The event was a cycling sportive which, importantly, is a ride and not a race. It was decided to engage British Cycling to oversee the event, which, for them, includes dealing with entrants and money and providing guidance and insurance. Dominic has a cycling business and is a keen cyclist himself and so the technical ‘nuts and bolts’ of the event were not a worry for the Lions Club.
The event was announced in January of this year and took place on Sunday 17th April. The cost to each rider was a modest £11 and almost 300 riders entered from all over the country. A good number of ladies took part with their age
ranging from 12 to several over 70! The overlying emphasis was to create a happy friendly experience for all and Lions obviously did that well. The course was 70 miles long, carefully set to take in the attractive North Notts countryside and include some interesting locations.
The input from Lions was mainly on the day setting up, managing registration and the staggered start. All the checkpoints had at least two Lions who offered sustenance and encouragement. A good food village pub provided the lunch stop and a velo cafe supported the start and finish. Lions arranged sponsorship for water, bananas and ice cream at the checkpoints and most importantly organised a really good weather day. After more than 20,000 rider miles, the feedback and general response was extremely positive. After all the costs had been met, Retford Lions Club was very pleased to accept almost £3,000 for the Charity account. Plans are already underway for next year when 500 riders will be the target.
October/November 2016
www.lionsclubs.co