RS AERO CYCLE CHALLENGE

This isn’t your average charity bike ride; it’s quite literally a boatload harder!

The RS Team are taking on a crazy challenge in memory of our much-loved friend and colleague, Maciej Nowaczyk, who sadly lost his fight with cancer earlier this year.

The team will be cycling from Coningsby, Lincolnshire to Southampton International Boat Show in Hampshire, the 200 mile distance being made even more challenging by towing an RS Aero between them. Maciej was an integral part of the RS team since 2014, helping to dispatch and deliver thousands of boats around the world.

His favourite job was to deliver new boats to excited customers in the UK, visiting new places and mixing with the sailing community. So they’ve decided to ride the 200 miles in his honour, making his final delivery one to remember.

They will be fundraising in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. Macmillan gives people with cancer everything they’ve got. If you’re diagnosed, your worries are Macmillan’s worries. Macmillan’s doing whatever it takes and this is the mantra the team will take with them as they take on the RS Aero bike ride challenge!

SPONSORS

THE ROUTE

Richard and his team will be cycling 200 miles towing an RS Aero, from where they are made in Coningsby, Lincolnshire to The Southampton International Boat Show in Hampshire.

200 miles and 5,000ft of elevation is a colossal route for even the most experienced of riders, but the team wanted to push the boundaries to celebrate the determination and grit that Maciej Nowaczyk showed in his work and his battle with cancer.

The RS Aero is 4m long and 1.5m wide – it is revolutionary on the water. The super lightweight and aerodynamic nature of the RS Aero hull means it’s definitely one of the better dinghies to tow behind a bike but that doesn’t take anything away from the fact that the team will be towing a boat and trailer behind a road bike. All up, the RS Aero will be over 60kg, and the width will reduce the team’s ability to use cycle paths, which adds a further dynamic to this already colossal challenge.

CHALLENGE SCHEDULE

Day One
September 11th
Mtag, Coningsby, Lincolnshire

The Team will be setting off from Mtag, the British birthplace of the RS Aero. The first day will be a huge one, with the intention to ride until they reach Bedford, that’s 85 miles/136km! The last third of the day will add some elevation to the mix just to challenge tired legs further, but leading up to that point the route is predominantly flat and the aim of the game will be smashing in some distance.

Day Two
September 12th
Bedford, Bedfordshire

The second day will be made up of a 68 mile/109km uphill slog with looming Chiltern Hills at the end of the day. Peaking at Brad Hill with an elevation of 831ft/253m and moments of incline at 14% on the way up. Our quads are quivering just thinking about it!

Day Three
September 13th
Pangbourne, Berkshire

The last day of the challenge, with 153 miles under their belt the team will have the remaining 47 miles/75km to do that day. The elevation, although not quite as savage as day two, still leaves hurdles like the North Wessex Downs and the South Downs to overcome.

Finish
September 13th
Southampton International Boat Show, Southampton, Hampshire

The team will weave through the streets of Southampton to reach the biggest boat show in the UK, Southampton International Boat Show. With ‘Press Preview Day’ in full swing on Friday 13th of Septemeber it felt like the perfect opportunity to celebrate the staggering achievement of the team whilst still being able to park the fully branded RS Aero Challenge hull on the RS Sailing stand for the next 10 days!

DONATE

This isn’t your average charity bike ride; it’s quite literally a boatload harder! Please donate anything you can to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Research.