Teams jump on bikes in Warwick to raise money for charity

(Left to right) Mark Ryder, head of transport and economy business unit at WCC, Monica Fogarty, joint managing director at WCC, Mike Vaughan from Mike Vaughn Cycles with Alison Insley - most improved female rider and Peter Corkhill - winning male cyclist.

Market Place was filled with competitive spirit for the third annual Static Bike Race organised by Warwickshire County Council.

Teams battled it out to complete the furthest distance within a five minute timeslot for the challenge - which went ahead to celebrate the OVO Energy Women’s Tour earlier in the year and that the OVO Energy Tour of Britain is coming in September.

Ran in conjunction with Freedom Fitness, a range of prizes were donated by The Rose and Crown (Warwick), Mike Vaughan Cycles (Kenilworth) and Wine Poole (Warwick).

A total of 27 teams took part in the static bike challenge. Photo submitted.

Teams paid £5 each to join in on the day and £317.68 was raised for the charity, Cyclists Fighting Cancer.

A total of 27 teams took part in the hotly contested event, but it was the Exchequer Service’s ‘Ticket to Ride’ who took home the gold, amassing a respectable 15.4km in five minutes.

The 2017 winners ‘Superfast’ took the second place spot with a total distance of 14.53km.

Completing the top three was ‘A Vicious Cycle’ with 14.24km, fending off a spirited effort from challengers ‘Pension Force’, who lost out on a podium-finish by just 0.02km.

The static bike challenge raised more than Â£300 for charity. Photo submitted.

‘A Vicious Cycle’ team-member Steph Williams came out on top in the women’s category, clocking in a huge 3.5km, a new record for a female individual.

Ruth Payne followed closely in second with 3.37km, with Rebecca Taylor-Barnes coming third in the category with 3.34km.

Peter Corkill finished the day with the greatest distance recorded by a male contestant (4.18km), while last year’s winner Carl Hipkiss of ‘Superfast’ came second with a score of 4.13km. Finishing in third was Don Page, member of overall winners ‘Ticket to Ride’.

Warwickshire County Council Leader, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, said: “The static bike race has come at a great time this year.

“We’ve been able to capitalise on the buzz created by the OVO Energy Women’s Tour, and generate a really good feeling around the town ahead of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, which we are extremely excited to be hosting for the first time.

“Everyone who took part was excellent and I have to thank all the businesses who got involved for making it possible and creating a great spectacle for the town to enjoy.

“Warwickshire County Council is committed to promoting exercise and healthy lifestyles, and events like this put an emphasis on that and act as great inspiration for people to make a change.”

The OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be coming through Warwickshire on Wednesday, September 5, covering 185km.

Competitors will set off from Nuneaton at 11am and head towards Atherstone before taking in the North Warwickshire countryside and then arrive in Meriden.

It will then head to the University of Warwick, before passing Kenilworth and Warwick Castles. Heading south into Stratford upon Avon, competitors will also have to take on three SKODA King of the Mountain climbs again – an ascent of more than 1,700 metres.

The first of those will be at Ilmington, before the second at Edge Hill, just on the outskirts of Arlescote while the third comes in Burton Dassett Country Park.

It will then head through Moreton Morrell, Wellesbourne, Kineton, Tysoe and Shipston-on-Stour, Fenny Compton and Southam, and then towards Princethorpe in Rugby before finishing in the centre of Royal Leamington Spa.