FUNDRAISING FOR RACING WELFARE CONTENTS 03 WELCOME & THANK YOU 05 ABOUT THE EVENT 08 HIGHLIGHTS 10 TRAINING 11 YOUR SUPPORT 13 GUIDES Welcome to the information pack for Racing Welfare’s inaugural bike ride August 17th – 21st 2021. THE Be part of an incredible journey cycling the length of the country over 5 days, raising vital funds for Racing Welfare to support racing’s workforce. GREAT The ride will start at Racecourse on 17th August and finish at Newton Abbott Racecourse on 21st August, covering around 100 miles a day. Along the way, there will be beautiful scenery, great camaraderie, and a glimpse of the RACING Tour de Yorkshire routes ridden by the Pros. Both the start and end of the ride coincide with race days so participants will get a roaring send-off and warm welcome at either end of the event. Sign up for an unforgettable WELFARE bucket-list challenge and we’ll provide everything you need to make it a first-class experience – whether you go it alone or team up with friends. All the funds you raise will help us meet the growing demand for support for racing’s workforce, CYCLE whose dedication and commitment makes the sport possible.

“I am taking part in the Great Racing Welfare Cycle for several reasons; first and foremost, having worked in racing for many years I am very aware of the importance of the work Racing Welfare does to support those working in the industry, and I feel it’s vital that those of us within racing do our bit when we can to give back to the sport. “My friends and I, all of whom have also worked in racing for a number of years, have got into cycling in a big way recently and getting out on our bikes as a group has been a great outlet for all of us away from the pressures of our various day jobs. We had been looking to take part in an event to test ourselves and the Great Racing Welfare Cycle is the perfect opportunity. We are really excited to be able to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime challenge together which I’m sure will be an amazing experience and something to tick off our bucket lists, all whilst raising funds and awareness for the | 03 work of a really important charity.”

Tom Messenger – Assistant Trainer to Dan Skelton

GOSMASH IT! THE EVENT

Dates: August 17th – 21st 2021 Cost per person: Entry Fee: £250 Minimum Sponsorship: £2,000

Included in your Package: B&B accommodation Breakfast Excellent picnic lunches Refreshment stops in the morning and afternoon on each riding day Three-course evening meals Guided riding on your choice of 1-2 routes each day Guides at a ratio of approx 1 pie guide to 10 cyclists Support vehicles with bike spares, med kits, water, etc Tour leaders in charge of the logistics of the ride 1 x medic pie water bottles Safe storage of bikes overnight

Itinerary Day two very much falls into three parts. Part one continues the route of the Tour De France DAY ONE Grand depart and takes on two climbs, Oxenhope Moor and the famous Cragg Vale, the longest continuous gradient in . It’s not steep, with an average gradient of just over 3% but it is a & TWO classic.

Our focus for day one is the fabulous Yorkshire At the top of Cragg Vale, the base route heads Dales and you will pretty much ride this from top towards Manchester, before you take a quiet to bottom. route into Manchester for lunch at the Velodrome and National Cycle Centre. The first half of the day winds its way along quiet country roads through Ingle Wood and Eden After lunch there is some city riding before we District and between the Lakes and the North enjoy the flat and rural 3rd part of the day Pennines until we enter the Dales after Kirkby through the pretty villages of Cheshire, past Stephen. Jodrell Bank finishing in the historic town of Middlewich, founded by the Romans on the You ‘just’ tackle Fleet Moss and ride through confluence of three rivers: the Dane, Croco and Deepdale before joining the Tour de France route Wheelock and now three canals also pass through once again down Wharfedale through Kettlewell the town, the Shropshire Union, Trent and and Grassington and into Skipton. Mersey, and the Wardle Canal. DAY THREE, FOUR & FIVE

Day three and we have left the big climbs of the as we go, through the outskirts of Bristol and north behind us as we head south through then across the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Our Cheshire and into Shropshire, zig-zagging our way destination is south of Bristol but north of the across the Shropshire Union Canal, through Mendips. Ironbridge and towards the Severn Valley south of Bridgenorth. We’ll get an early start and take advantage of a fantastic start to the day across the Mendips and We skirt the edge of the Wyre Forest and into the through Cheddar Gorge. After that, it’s a long flat Malvern Hills district and Worcestershire. stretch between Burnham on Sea and Our destination is Worcester with a visit to the Glastonbury until we hit the Blackdown Hills, racecourse. another AONB.

Day four takes us through two Areas of After descending off the hills it’s another 30k to Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Malvern Hills the top of the Exe estuary, where we head south- and the Wyle Valley, including the Forest of east along the estuary and past Powderman Dean. Castle, hugging the coast until we hit Teignmouth, where we head inland to Newton Abbot. After that, it’s via and across the Severn Bridge enjoying the great views Target eta 17.00. HIGHLIGHTS

Cragg Vale – Britain’s longest continuous ascent Visit the heart of British Cycling – the Manchester Velodrome The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ironbridge The Forest of Dean Cheddar Gorge Excellent accommodation

Included in your package:

B&B accommodation Breakfast Excellent picnic lunches Refreshment stops in the morning and afternoon on each riding day Three-course evening meals Guides at a ratio of approx 1 pie guide to 12 cyclists Support vehicles with bike spares, med kits, water, etc Tour leaders in charge of the logistics of the ride 1 x Medic pie water bottles Safe storage of bikes overnight

Not included in your package:

Single room - available for a supplement Travel insurance Bicycle insurance Personal expenditures Travel to the start or from the finish

Insurance – travel and bike

pie is delighted to be an approved partner of Yellow Jersey Cycle Insurance. Get 10% off using the code pieevents10 COVID

At the time of writing, we are looking forward to a slight relaxation of the Covid restrictions on our lives and the government vaccination programme means that everyone over 18 will have been vaccinated by the start of the trip. However, we will still be mindful of the regulations and our part in reducing the spread of the virus. We ask you not to attend the Racing Welfare Bike Ride if you have any symptoms. We ask if you have not had a vaccine that you get tested to reduce transmission. There are council run test centres available for people to attend to see if they are asymptomatic. You will receive the test results in 30 minutes by text or email. If you have a positive test result within three days of the start of the ride we ask you do not attend. Although we will spend most of the day outdoors, indoors it may still be the law to wear a face mask while moving around inside. Please, therefore, bring a mask to wear while at the refreshment stops during the day and in the communal areas of the hotels. Where possible wash your hands. Where not possible there will be plenty of hand sanitiser gel in our vans, at the stops and in the hotel so please use them liberally. Give people space - not everyone will have been vaccinated.

Testimonial from a Previous Rider

“I’ve ridden many times on pie events over the years, and I can say without fear of contradiction they are superb. And that word applies to all the essential components of a great trip – the organisation, accommodation, food, guiding, support, location and routing. Oh – I left out the craic and camaraderie as well!”

Dermot Murnaghan, Sky News Reader

START TRAINING SUPPORTING RACING WELFARE

What your support could provide

£100 could pay for four rehabilitation physio sessions, crucial for helping someone return to work after injury £500 could pay for an outing or day trip for a group of retired beneficiaries, giving vital social interaction which could prevent isolation and loneliness £1,000 could provide five beneficiaries with access to a sleep therapy programme, helping to improve productivity, relationships, and physical and mental health £2,000 could pay for a new mobility scooter to help a person with a disability to remain active and access the community when they might otherwise be confined to home, giving them vital independence

Case study - Alex Cairns, Racing Welfare beneficiary

When it comes to Racing Welfare, Alex Cairns is a passionate supporter of both the services offered and raising funds for the charity.

“I like to spread the word about Racing Welfare, when someone is injured I always push them forward that way along with anyone struggling with mental health issues such as drink and drug problems,” he says.

“I first had contact with Racing Welfare back in 2012 when I did my first marathon for them. I wanted to do the London marathon for a charity that helps people in racing and one that I may need help from at some point. I actually ended up receiving support for physio treatment when I was training for both marathons. In 2015, when I was training, I had a leg injury and it was also affecting me at work as I have a very physical job.”

This physical health support provided by Racing Welfare meant Alex was able to continue pain-free at work. A year later, as a result of riding out every day, back pain became a further issue at work for Alex and he was able to once again seek support to help to get him back to work.

Inspired once again to get out there and raise funds for Racing Welfare, Alex put forward the idea of a sponsored bike ride:

“I’ll be doing the Great Racing Welfare Cycle, the wheels are in motion! I put the initial idea forward. On the back of all the support I’ve received and with COVID-19 I thought it would be a good idea for them, it’s outside and you’re usually a metre or two apart from people so I thought it would work well.” SPONSORSHIP & GIFT AID

Gift Aid is a scheme that means charities can reclaim tax on donations made by UK tax payers. If you add gift aid to your donation we can claim back from the government 25p for every £1 that is donated at no extra cost. We have partnered with up with virginmoneygiving.com and justgiving.com, two great websites where you can set up your own fundraising page.

For JustGiving: For Virgin Money Giving:

Log into justgiving.com and click ‘Start Fundraising Log into virginmoneygiving.com and click ‘start When asked ‘Are you fundraising for a registered fundraising’ charity?’, select ‘Yes, continue’ Choose ‘Fundraise’ and select ‘Create a Page’ Search for and select Racing Welfare Sign in or set up an account using your email address. Or Select whether you’re taking part in an event, celebrating you can continue with Facebook an occasion, fundraising in memory or doing your own Enter details of your fundraising activity and choose your thing event. If you’re organising your own event, choose ‘I’m If you can’t see your event listed, select ‘Add your own' at doing my own thing’ the bottom of the page Search for Racing Welfare. You can select up to five Choose your web address – this is the link you’ll be charities and choose how you would like the funds to be sharing with friends and family when asking them to split donate If your charity has helped towards the cost of your Tick ‘Yes’ if you’re running a bake sale, or selling tickets fundraising activity, please answer ‘yes’ when asked ‘Have to an event, raffle or auction. Donations to your Page any of your selected charities contributed to the cost of won’t be eligible for Gift Aid. your fundraising?’ Otherwise, just answer ‘no’ Click ‘Create your page’ Select ‘Create my page’.

Virgin Money and Just Giving will send the donations straight to Racing Welfare and re-claim any Gift Aid automatically on your behalf. Setting up your fundraising page is really simple but if you do need any help then please get in touch. Match funding

Generally speaking, most high street banks and building societies, insurance companies, supermarkets, utility providers, phone companies and car manufacturers will have offered match funding schemes to their employees. Find a list of some companies that provide match funding here. Support from Racing Welfare

Racing Welfare is here to support you throughout your fundraising journey. Our fundraising team has a wealth of experience which ables them to support you and provide different ways that you can raise funds. If you want help with your fundraising please email Naomi on [email protected]

Social media is a great place to share your story and ask for donations. Make sure you are following Racing Welfare, @racingwelfare, and tag us in any posts about your challenge so that we can share them with our wider audience and supporters of the charity. PIEGUIDES

The Racing Welfare Racecourse to Racecourse Bike ride is a guided ride with groups being led by pie guides who are familiar with the terrain and who help all abilities complete the challenge. For those not familiar with the pie guiding system:

We offer guided rides to make sure we offer the very best care to our cyclists All of our guides are experienced cyclists. They range from ex-professional racers to keen amateurs and all are very used to guiding groups of differing abilities, experience and skills All of our guides will navigate their small group of 8 – 10 cyclists from start to finish They are on hand to do mechanical work so there is no waiting around for a mechanic’s van Many pie guides are first aid trained On most days cyclists can change groups (up or down) at any time during the day We make the ride suitable for most standards of cyclists (bar complete beginners) – check the minimum daily distances and elevations to make sure you are happy with your level of fitness vs the challenge above, and then start some training to minimise the gap!

You can find out more about pie here.

To take part, please contact:

Naomi Jones, Corporate Fundraising and Events Manager at Racing Welfare: [email protected]

Social Media

Follow Racing Welfare on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - @RacingWelfare Follow Pie on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at #bespokeguidedrides #pieevents