2022 Pier to Pier Challenge
On the 20th of July 2022, 13 cyclists set off on the coach to Scarborough ready to take on this year’s Pier to Pier Fundraising Cycling Challenge, from Scarborough Pier to Blackpool North Pier in 3 days.
Take a look at the video of their adventures at the bottom of this post.
Day 1
Thursday 21st July – The 1st leg of the Pier to Pier Challenge was a 66-mile cycle from Scarborough to Boroughbridge. We dipped the back wheels of our bikes into the sea on the North East Coast at Scarborough then set off. 9 miles in and we hit the first big hill, Staxton Hill which the locals know is a killer!
Yes, we might have had to get off and walk up this hill with our bikes as it was that tough, but we made it! Anyway, what goes up must come down, however it took a lot more miles of climbing up, until we had the benefit of the downhill ride!
We made it to lunch at the Village Hall in the beautiful village of Coneysthorpe at the 36-mile point where we refuelled and got ready for the next 30 miles. From Coneysthorpe we travelled through Sheriff Hutton and Alne via some beautiful scenery arriving at Boroughbridge in time for tea. 3271 ft climbed and day one completed.
Day 2
Friday 22nd July had us cycling from Boroughbridge to Ilkley, 69 miles again with some beautiful scenery. We cycled back on ourselves a little to take in the sites of York which included York town centre, yes there were cobbles, not great for bikes but hey ho it’s a challenge!
We visited York Minster and Marston Moor Monument before lunch at Beckwithshaw Village Hall at 52 miles. That was a long cycle, and we were certainly ready for our lunch. One of the water stops that morning was in the beautiful town of Knaresborough probably one of the prettiest places on our journey!
After lunch we had the hardest hills of the day, and these were from Beckwithshaw to Otley until we arrived at The Craiglands Hotel in Ilkley our accommodation for the night. The last hill leading up to the hotel was a shocker to finish the day off and of course we had rain this afternoon which makes the cycling so much harder. We arrived wet and shattered but what a sense of achievement and only one day left to go! 2,935 ft climbed.
Day 3
Saturday 23rd July and 77 miles to go. The longest number of miles on the last day! Certainly, a challenge when we have been in the seat for approximately 8 hours (except the breaks) for the previous 2 days but we pushed on.
From Ilkley we cycled to Skipton and then on to Clitheroe and yes this is still a very hilly part of the country and then of course the heavens opened, and the rain came down hard. The towns and villages we started to pass were getting familiar to the cyclists from their training days so although wet and soggy the excitement was growing as we were getting nearer to home. Today was also the highest climb with 3535 ft overall.
We stopped for lunch at Hurst Green Memorial Hall which was just outside a town called, Great Britain, yes there really is a village called that! Here we had to try and dry off and get ready for the last stretch towards home, 34 miles. From Hurst Green we had our heads down, due to the weather and pushed ourselves through Longridge, Broughton and on to Lytham and then down the prom.
The final stop of our Pier to Pier Challenge was at the Mirror Ball at South Shore Blackpool to dip our front wheel in the sea and thankfully the tide was in, so we didn’t have far to walk with the bikes. The last few miles from the Mirror Ball had all the cyclists singing and laughing and the excitement was building as we knew our friends and family were all waiting at The Blackpool Tower. What a welcome we received with a huge crowd of people all clapping and cheering us on and the Blackpool Carers Flag was flying high, literally.
We got to pop champagne and celebrate with our nearest and dearest. Todate, our cyclists have raised a fantastic gross figure of over £20,000 with a net figure of just shy of £9,000 which will help to provide respite and support for our carers.
We would like to say thank you to each cyclist that took on the challenge and to all their friends and family who supported them whilst they were training and helped them to raise their fundraising target.
If you would like to take part in our next challenge, or wish to hold a fundraising event on our behalf, please contact Terry Hodkinson, Head of Business Development and Fundraising on 01253 393748 or email: terry.hodkinson@blackpoolcarers.org