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Great British Bike-Off: cyclists start four-day route to raise money for the waterways

Thirty-one cyclists will set off from the Olympic Park in London today on a 300-mile journey to raise money for the nation’s historic canals and rivers.

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If you see the teams on a road, cycleway or towpath over the next few days, do give them some encouragement.
Ruth Ruderham

The Great British Bike-Off aims to raise over £35,000 for vital maintenance, heritage and ecology projects.

The route will see the teams cycling through magnificent countryside on roads and cycle-ways parallel to waterways such as the Grand Union, Trent & Mersey and the Macclesfield canals, and taking in sights including Hatton Locks and Standedge Tunnel. The finishing line on the 28 September is at one of the Wonders of the Waterways, the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire.

Exciting and beautiful route

Ruth Ruderham, the Canal & River Trust's head of fundraising, said: “We're delighted to get such great support for the Great British Bike-Off, it promises to be an exciting and beautiful route that takes in some of our most-loved waterway locations.

“Our canals and rivers are a national treasure, home to local communities, an array of wildlife and two centuries of industrial heritage. They have had a renaissance in the last few decades, but we still need to raise more money to look after them. Hopefully the fantastic fundraising work our cyclists have done will make up in some way for the pain of cycling a few hundred miles. If you see the teams on a road, cycleway or towpath over the next few days, do give them some encouragement.”

Follow their progress

Last Edited: 25 September 2013

photo of a location on the canals
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