Warwickshire cyclists ride to fundraising success

Cyclists from across the Midlands rode to fundraising success in the Warwickshire countryside as an annual bike ride raised over £9,000 for local causes.

Over 300 people took part in this year’s edition of the Starley Sportive, with all the money raised going to support Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes, Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.

The Starley Sportive is a long-running charity cycle ride which was established by Coventry Road Club and Deeley Group, and encourages people to get on their bikes while raising money for local charities.

This year’s event featured three distances, with riders choosing to ride scenic routes of 29 miles, 63 miles or 87 miles through the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire countryside.

The finish line saw riders greeted by the acoustic tunes, organised by Warwickshire-based singer Richard Keogh with bikes from the Blood Bikes charity partner and the Rover Safety Bike, pioneered by the event’s namesakes, John Kemp Starley and James Starley also on display. 

Alongside the three Warwickshire charities, organisers also donated to the local Coventry food bank, with all riders and supporters encouraged to donate spare items to support people across Coventry and Warwickshire this winter.

Ian Court, General Secretary of Coventry Road Club, said: “This year’s event was a great success, we had over 300 riders taking part in the sportive with many more people supporting from the sidelines.

“We are pleased to hear how much people enjoyed getting outdoors and riding the different routes, with their generosity helping us to raise an amazing total of £9,000 which will support three worthy charities and all the work they do across Warwickshire and the West Midlands.”  

Phil MacRae, Vice Chair of Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes, said: “It is wonderful to be working with the Starley Sportive this year as a new charity partner.

“The ride is a great initiative and a share of the money raised will go towards supporting our medical emergency transport service in Solihull and Warwickshire and help our riders who are all volunteers continue to provide their lifesaving services supporting the air ambulance and transporting blood platelets, spinal fluid, X-rays and human breast milk.”

Edward Hudson, Business Development Manager at Deeley Group, said: “We were delighted to host this year’s Starley Sportive celebrating Coventry’s cycling past and present and encouraging more people to get active.

“It was great to see so many people on their bikes at the start line, cycling and supporting three Warwickshire charities who do important work in our local community.”

Find out more about this year’s Starley Sportive, visit: www.starleysportive.co.uk

Find out more about the work of Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes, visit: https://www.wsbb.org/