Setting off on June 10th three Mersea locals, Phil Passfield, John Royce and Simon Liston are going to attempt the classic cycle ride from John O’Groats to Lands End also known as ‘the JOGLE’.
Phil explained the reason for the ride : “We all use the water for a number of activities so the RNLI is a fitting charity for us, as well as being a vital resource for the Island .”
John added “all monies raised by us will go directly to the West Mersea Section of the RNLI”
In addition to being the hard way of going from one end of Great Britain to the other (i.e. against prevailing winds) the ride will also be totally unsupported. This means everything that’s needed will have to be carried on their bikes. The route will take them from John O’Groats via Loch Ness (with a bit of Nessie spotting),Fort William onto Glasgow, Gretna Green past the Lake District onto Warrington, then through the Welsh Borders to Chepstow, Bristol ,north of Exeter ,Wadebridge and finally Lands End a total mileage of around 917 miles - all to be completed in 14days.
“We are under no illusions about the enormity of the challenge - especially the hills in the North which are completely different to the ones down here!” pointed out the last (in more ways than one) member of the team, Simon.
You can follow their progress online at www.mersea-island.net where there are also profiles of the riders and a blog containing regular updates of how the ride is going.
Most importantly this site also provides a link to enable you to easily make a donation online. Please click Here to Register Your Donation For other donations there are collection boxes at various locations on the island or direct to Phil at 58 Yorick Road West Mersea. [ please make cheques payable to RNLI West Mersea]
Please give the lads all the support you can for this very worthwhile venture. !!!
