Last Sunday 8th July, on a hot summer morning, over 140 cyclists descended on Maidenhead Office Park all keen to experience Maidenhead Rotary Club’s first ever Bikeathon, an event that had been in the planning for about 2 years. This new cycle event took them on a circular 15 mile route through a number of Berkshire’s beautiful villages, including White Waltham, Waltham St Lawrence and Shurlock Row. The cyclists ranged from young to old and it was particularly pleasing to see a large number of families take part, some with child seats and tag-alongs, others guiding their young children on their bikes along the quiet, flat country roads of East Berkshire.
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Cyclists (including our intrepid Past President, above right) were able to depart between 9 am and 10 am, most opting for the early start to avoid the heat later in the morning. All safely navigated the route and were very pleased with the good organisation, the clear directions and the friendly support of the numerous Rotary Marshals stationed along the route in their high viz jackets!
The feed station about half way into the route was a particular welcome sight, offering chilled water and refreshments, the children particularly enjoying the chocolates and sweets! A few miles further on (well, only 7 miles!) and the finish line beckoned, all cyclists receiving a commemorative medal to testify to their well-deserved efforts.
Feedback from cyclists was unanimously positive about the Bikeathon, most commenting how much they enjoyed the route, the beautiful countryside and how they look forward to the next one! We won’t disappoint them and aim to expand the Bikeathon next year. With the lessons learned from our experiences this year, we want to establish this as a major annual event in Berkshire. It was a real pleasure to get the community involved in this inaugural Bikeathon, and a particular pleasure to earn a financial surplus to apply to Rotary’s local and international charitable causes.
The feed station about half way into the route was a particular welcome sight, offering chilled water and refreshments, the children particularly enjoying the chocolates and sweets! A few miles further on (well, only 7 miles!) and the finish line beckoned, all cyclists receiving a commemorative medal to testify to their well-deserved efforts.
Feedback from cyclists was unanimously positive about the Bikeathon, most commenting how much they enjoyed the route, the beautiful countryside and how they look forward to the next one! We won’t disappoint them and aim to expand the Bikeathon next year. With the lessons learned from our experiences this year, we want to establish this as a major annual event in Berkshire. It was a real pleasure to get the community involved in this inaugural Bikeathon, and a particular pleasure to earn a financial surplus to apply to Rotary’s local and international charitable causes.
