Race around Britain - by handbike

Race around Britain - by handbike

By Col Stocker

Race around Britain - by handbike

Alpkiteer Mel Nicholls has set off on her latest ultra endurance challenge and record-attempt, taking on her Race Around Britain - The Long Road Home.

A circumnavigation of mainland Britain, Mel will be looking to set a fastest known time for handcycling around Britain and break the record for the furthest distance ridden by handcycle, likely to be covering in the region of 7000 km.

Mel has now completed her journey through Wales, and is currently heading north towards the Lake District. She has been getting incredible support so far and we're all behind Mel here at Alpkit and wish her the best of luck through her ride. So if you see her whizzing past, be sure to wave a warm hello of encouragement, or even jump on your bike and join her for a while.

She will be aiming to make full use of the days from dawn all the way through into the darker hours, and has chosen to take it on largely unsupported.

"It is important I take on this challenge in an ethical and environmentally friendly way, promoting sustainable greener travel and of course championing journeying by bike for all. My plan is to be connecting with communities and encouraging others to ride with me throughout my route; a collective antidote to the critically damaging increase of social isolation through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Race Around Britain is much about performance, however I will also use the challenge as an opportunity to raise awareness and to support my chosen charities doing great work in gynaecological cancer research, a cause personal to me and to the lives of 21,000 women diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer each year."

You can find her fundraising pages for her two chosen gynaecological cancer research charities here: Ovarian Cancer Action and The Eve Appeal

You can follow her progress here on Mel's Instagram

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