TRF Forums

Some of you may have heard that TRF member Carla McKenzie of Wilts TRF will be doing a run for Bike Tours for the wounded from John O'Groats to Lands End

http://www.trf.org.uk/the-ultimate-uk-trail-ride/

http://www.biketoursforthewounded.co.uk/events/byway-green-lane-rides/

Individual TRF members and local groups will be helping along the route - and feel free to out your offer to lead a leg down the trails in your area .

Meanwhile a Project manager & volunteers are needed to "join the dots".

In advance of the event - Now till July 10th

Plan the approximate route (leaving detail to the local groups)
Plan the handovers
Plan the location of overnight stops

During the 9 day event Dates: July 11th to 19th 2015

Be on hand to arrange an contingency actions
Replan route if necessary

Please contact marketing@trf.org.uk or Mario on 07721 480000 should you be able to Project Manage this or at least volunteer to help.

If you are offering to only lead a leg but not Project Manage the run, simply put your details down on as a forum reply and we will contact you in the future.

Jacky German of the Gloucester Group did something similar (northbound) before NERC.

It might pay the organiser to ask her if she is prepared to help.

However, if I recall correctly, even then it was almost impossible to find legal routes in Scotland.

You could probably get more actual trail miles in riding from furthest East (Ness Point, Lowestoft) to Lands End (furthest west) or Lizard (furthest south).

Or 'box the compass' and do the furthest N, S, E & W in England.

I'll need to check my diary but happy to help out in the Southwest or possibly the Scottish borders depending on where we are at the time.

Will update once our plans are made.

There are green lanes and very rough back roads in Scotland but I doubt that they would work all that well within the proposed time restraints.

I think that when Jacky did it, it was over a few weeks.

Just to confirm Scotland is in the capable hand of our Scottish TRF members and in particular the ever helpful & enthusiastic Clive Rumbold.

Lets focus on volunteers for England & Wales and in particular a National Route Coordinator.

Ideally we should have 2 TRF National route coordinators
3 leaders from each group that the route travels through.


Some basic data to understand the extent of the challenge

Number of B4TW riders 18 - hence 3 groups of 6
Allowing 8 riding days
850 main road miles
Allowing 1500 miles to include byways (a highly adjustable variable)
Gives around 190 miles per day of "laning". as the objective.

These are obviously fairly "full on" days particularly for 8 consecutive days

Allowing for beginners speeds of 15 mph this equates to 13 hour days in the saddle falling to 8 hours if they average 25 mph.

This is not a "walk in the park". With breakdowns & incidents it is clear it is unlikely not all will make this.

I have no concerns for Carla - trained by Wilts TRF but getting 3 groups through possibly including complete beginners without proper planning & volunteering by the TRF and individual TRF members.......?

Please stick your hand up now.

Hi Richard

We believe the answers to your questions are comprehensively explained in the link to the Bike Tours for the Wounded Web site and we strongly urge you to take a few moments to review the site for the answers to your queries.

http://www.biketoursforthewounded.co.uk/about-us/

The TRF will of course assist all riders of this organisation regardless of their needs and your query would seem to be a matter for the organisers and not the TRF who are currently simply helping with route planning, guiding and volunteer ride leaders.

Please contact the organisation directly with any questions on participants or the people who benefit.