Marlow Red Kite Ride Entries Open

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Posted Monday 10th March 2014 –

Red-Kite-Ride-Logo-White

Organisers are expecting another sellout for this year’s Marlow Red Kite Ride, which will be held on Sunday August 31st – a week after Bank Holiday Weekend. Entries are now open for this third annual event, which last year sold out with a capacity of 600 entries reached.

The entry fee will remain at £25 but organisers, Marlow Riders, are keen to enhance their reputation for putting on a prime cycling event by improving on some of the aspects from last year.

“We want to create a somewhat unique, quality event which will include the popular after-ride ‘theatre’, which this year should be enhanced even further” says Event Director Steve Tolmie. “ Numbers will again be restricted to 600. So don’t delay in entering or risk disappointment.

“We’d like to attract more families to come to our area for a short break or weekend and ride the Red Kite Ride. It’s a great area to visit. We are also working hard to develop the attractions at the after event ‘theatre’ as an additional incentive for participants to bring along their families.”
The “Red Kite Ride” is named as such due to the proliferation of red kites that can be seen along the route which takes riders over the rolling Chiltern hills and through the Thames Valley.

There will again be a choice of 50, 80 or 100 mile routes through Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire with the longer routes passing through the Vale of Aylesbury over some of the highest parts of the Chilterns and then back into the Thames Valley.

Course Director and former Olympic bronze medallist Willi Moore has again designed routes that provide a few testing climbs, a healthy mix of stunning local scenery and some faster flatter sections over the longer routes.
All three routes pass iconic landmarks such as Christmas Common and Watlington Hill and the 100 mile route climbs up to Brill Windmill, where the views of the Oxfordshire scenery are stunning.

All three routes are again likely to pass through a 40ft long ford – the river Loddon – in the village of Twyford, Berkshire. It was a feature that proved a popular talking point at last year’s event.

The Red Kite Ride will start and finish at the Marlow Sports Club on the banks of the River Thames. Marlow is a popular tourist destination and has good access from both the M4 and M40 motorways.

Organisers are again promising three well sign-posted routes, with three feed stations, electronic timing, ample parking at the start, showers at the finish and GPX routes to download before the event.

“Cycling For All” is the philosophy and core motivation of the Marlow Riders, a fast growing club, still only four years old.

The event last year raised £8,000 for three local charities. This year the Red Kite Ride will be supporting a cycling related charity called CYCLISTS FIGHTING CANCER, who give bikes, adapted tricycles and equipment to children and young people across the UK whose lives have been affected by cancer.

Mike Grisenthwaite, the charity’s founder and a Cancer Exercise Specialist, says: “We’re delighted to be involved with the Red Kite Ride this year. The bikes and trikes we give to children with cancer across the UK make an amazing difference to their lives. We’re only able to continue to do this through the support of cyclists and cycling clubs such as Marlow Riders. We hope to raise lots of money and awareness for our charity on the day.”

For more details and entry: http://marlowredkiteride.co.uk