Olympic Challenge Ride 2012

To celebrate the Olympics coming to London in 2012 I thought some of you may be interested in a commemorative ride. This is a departure for Grim Riders in that this ride can only be completed as a Challenge Ride, i.e. completed in one journey visiting all landmarks. The ride takes in eight landmarks, including the Stratford site of the games and seven structures across England and Scotland which celebrate the history of the games.

It is a circular ride so you start and finish at the same location which can be at any one of the nine landmarks – you must then visit all the other landmarks in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction around the country according to the route below. There is no time limit for the ride but you will qualify for a special ‘Olympic Gold Ride’ certificate if you complete the ride within one 24 hour period. According to MS Autoroute the route comes to around 1044 miles so should enable you to qualify for the IBA’s Saddlesore 1000 or LDR’s Full Throttle rides if you meet the specific requirements for their rides (see their websites for exact details). The ride will only be available within 2012.

In the spirit of the original amateur status of the Olympics there is no charge for this ride but donations to the WNAA will be most welcome. You must be a member of Grim Riders (i.e. registered for the Charity Ride in 2012) to be able to apply for a certificate.

To evidence the ride you will need to:
1. obtain a receipt, from any location close to your first landmark, to mark your start time and one from the same location (ensure it will be open at the end of your ride before you start!) to mark your finish time;
2. at each landmark you will need to take two photographs – one of your bike at the landmark, the other of your GPS showing the location and time;
3. each time you stop for fuel you will need to supply a timed and dated receipt (only if applying for an IBA or LDR certified ride).

The landmarks – there are specific locations to be photographed in:
1. Stratford Park, London;
2. Marlow, Bucks;
3. Shapwick, Dorset;
4. Wells, Somerset;
5. Much Wenlock, Shropshire;
6. Wednesfield, West Midlands;
7. Edinburgh, Scotland ;
8. Liversedge, Yorkshire