A 70-mile charity bike ride that takes in some of Huddersfield’s most breath-taking scenery is back.
The Brian Robinson Challenge Ride has been missing from the annual calendar since before the Covid pandemic but will return in July to raise money for Huddersfield charity Streetbikes.
The ride is named after Britain’s first Tour de France stage winner, the late Brian Robinson from Mirfield, who died last October aged 91. Brian has an impressive list of cycling achievements and also played a major role bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014 and sections of this charity ride were on the Tour route.
This event, organised by cyclist Martyn Bolt from Mirfield, has been run since 2007 and over the years £60,000 has been raised for charities and good causes ranging from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Combat Stress.
The route for the event on Sunday, July 2, starts at 9am from the Princess Mary Athletics Stadium on Bradford Road in Liversedge and will feature five major climbs including the ultra-gruelling one-mile Holme Moss that are all within the first 35 miles.
The route includes Hartshead, Brighouse, Fixby, Buckstones Moor, Wessenden, Holmfirth, Woodhead Pass, Dunford Bridge, Denby Dale, Emley, Kirkheaton, Bradley and back to the starting point in Liversedge.
The entry fee is £25 in advance and £30 on the day. To enter go to the British Cycling website HERE.
The route marshals are members of West Yorkshire Advanced Motorcyclists.
Brian Robinson
Streetbikes was set up in 2010 by Gill Greaves who was working for Kirklees Council and was co-chair of Kirklees Cycling Group when she realised there were very few opportunities for women to go cycling so she set up a project to recycle a few bikes for woman to tie in with community cycling events and Streetbikes grew rapidly from there.
Over the years Gill has raised more than £1m for Streetbikes with £750,000 from the Lottery and £250,000 from other grants.
Streetbikes is now based in Milnsbridge and collects donated bikes, ensures they are roadworthy and donates them to people who would otherwise struggle to afford one. The charity also organises family cycling mainly at Spenborough Running Track in Liversedge, women only rides and bike mechanic training.
Over the last 13 years the charity has recycled more than 13,000 bikes, including many dumped at Kirklees Council waste tips.
Streetbikes’ motto is: ‘Make friends, improve health and have fun.’
Olympic cycling hero Ed Clancy became the charity’s patron last December. Ed, who grew up in Denby Dale and Holmfirth and now lives in Holmbridge, is the most successful Team Pursuit cyclist in history, having won gold with Team GB at three successive Olympics.
He said: “I’m so honoured to be patron for Streetbikes. It’s a charity I’ve followed for some time. Gill is a local hero in my area and has given her time relentlessly to allow those who may never give cycling a go the chance to sit on a saddle, pedal and enjoy the freedom, the fun and the social aspects of this amazing sport.
“She has genuinely changed lives through her passion for cycling and I take my hat off to her for the amazing work she does. For me, the more people we can have on bikes and give access to bikes, the better.”
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.
