Martin Mansell’s latest endurance effort is the culmination of three years’ of fundraising rides
Martin Mansell, CEO of Enjoy Travel, on a visit to the Rob Burrow Centre for MND.(Image: Enjoy Travel)
A company boss has set out to secure a new world record for the fastest ride around England’s perimeter. Martin Mansell, 48, is starting his mammoth 2,000 miles ride from the Humber Bridge.
The CEO of EnjoyTravel.com is expected to take 10 days before returning to Hull having raised vital funds for The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease through the Leeds Hospitals Charity, and Yorkshire Children’s Charity. The ultra-endurance effort will see him averaging back-to-back 200-mile days across a mix of coastal, rural and urban terrain.
Beginning at the Humber Bridge, he will follow a continuous route around the country’s coastline and borders, passing through places including Northumberland, Carlisle, Chester, the Severn Bridge and Land’s End, before returning to Yorkshire to complete the loop. His attempt has been officially sanctioned by WUCA (World UltraCycling Association), the governing body and certification source for Guinness World Records for endurance cycling.
Martin will spend more than 16 hours per day on the road, with very little rest save for about five hours sleep each night. The challenge is set to conclude on Sunday, July 5 with a final ride into the Yorkshire Centre for Motor Neurone Disease.
Martin said: “This is the biggest and most arduous challenge I’ve ever taken on and the culmination of a three-year series of charity endurance rides. The challenging terrain, unpredictable weather and sheer amount of miles – with little rest between stages – will make it an incredibly tough challenge, but I’m ready to go the distance in support of these important causes.
“Raising funds for The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease and Yorkshire Children’s Charity gives the ride real purpose, and I’m determined to help raise as much as possible for two incredible charities.”
The feat is hoped to raise £50,000 for the two Yorkshire-based charities. The Rob Burrow Centre for MND through Leeds Hospitals Charity, provides expert care, research, and support for people living with MND. Meanwhile the Yorkshire Children’s Charity, supports children living with disability and hardship across the region with essential equipment and emergency resources.
For Martin, the rise is the final part of a three-year endurance effort that has seen him cycle the full perimeter of Yorkshire in four days and raising £16,000 for Alzheimer’s Society and then from Leeds to Nice – covering around 1,100 miles in seven days – raising more funds for the charity and for Candlelighters.
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