Your news: Handcycling champion's 2,500 mile challenge to fitness fanatics

Handcyclist Rob Groves has challenged members of The Gym Crawley to match his upcoming 2,500 mile ride around Britain's coast.
ks170048-1 Crawley Handcycle  phot kate

Rob Groves and his supporters from the Crawley Gym Group at the start of the handcycling challenge.ks170048-1 SUS-170102-191432008ks170048-1 Crawley Handcycle  phot kate

Rob Groves and his supporters from the Crawley Gym Group at the start of the handcycling challenge.ks170048-1 SUS-170102-191432008
ks170048-1 Crawley Handcycle phot kate Rob Groves and his supporters from the Crawley Gym Group at the start of the handcycling challenge.ks170048-1 SUS-170102-191432008

Rob plans to set off from Brighton on May 28 and travel around the country’s coastline, finishing at 10 Downing Street on June 25.

As well as showing what a disabled cyclist can do, he hopes to raise awareness of hand cycling as a sport, and of environmental threats to our oceans.

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Rob plans to get 100,000 people to sign a petition asking the UK Government for more education in our schools on climate change and saving our oceans and beaches from pollution. Rob will hand the petition to Prime Minister Theresa Mary on the last day of his ride.

He will also be raising funds for three of his favourite charities - the Dolphin Project, the Spinal Injury Association, and the Cycling Project.

Handcyclists from the Invictus Games will join him for some sections of the route, providing moral support.

In the meantime, he is throwing down the gauntlet to The Gym Crawley members to raise sponsorship money for the cause, while measuring their own strength and stamina against his. Halfords have donated a bike and ‘trainer’ stand, to be given to the one who completes the most miles.

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“The Gym Group supported me on my Scotland to London event for Children in Need in 2014 and raised a massive £6,000.” Rob told the Crawley Observer, adding that they hope to raise more this time around.

“I am giving the Gym Group members the opportunity of finding out what it is like to use a handcycle; I am challenging the Gym Group members, on a specially converted handcycle placed in the gym on rollers, to complete the 2,500 miles in 28 days starting from February 1, 2017.”

Raj Sharma the Mayor of Crawley, as well as representatives of the Dolphin Project, the Spinal Injury Association, and the Cycling Project, all attended the launch event at The Gym Crawley in Queens Square on February 1.

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