Here's where you'll find all the latest news and developments regarding the 2024 Great Weston Ride:
November 2023
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GWR Mallorca Cycling Trip
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For some time now we've been considering & exploring options for a possible GWR-specific cycling week in Mallorca, and we're finally at a point where we could actually make that happen in March 2024.
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However, in order to proceed further, we now need to gauge if there are sufficient levels of serious interest in this idea to warrant putting firm arrangements in place.
Our plan is to work with the very experienced team at Andy Cook Cycling (ACC) to put on our own exclusive week of great bike rides in small groups led by experienced ride leaders and, as things stand, ACC would be able to accommodate us with a bespoke service during the week of 17th-24th March 2024 (Sunday-to-Sunday to include flight options from Bristol).
ACC has been running cycling camps in Mallorca for over 30 years and, having actually worked directly with them out there over the last three years, we know that Andy and his team are undoubtedly the ideal partners for something like this.
(Not to mention that ACC has also worked with us on the GWR since Day #1 - so, with over 14 years of collaboration to date, we really do know exactly what we can expect in terms of service & quality!).
We've carefully looked at & investigated various options for our inaugural trip to Mallorca and, while ACC isn't necessarily the cheapest option, we've seen for ourselves that it's very much a case of 'you get what you pay for' - and we can say from first-hand experience that ACC's very friendly, personal service makes a huge difference and it IS most definitely the best-quality option available.
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March is a good time to visit Mallorca for cycling and our bespoke programme will be designed to accommodate anyone & everyone who's taken part in any of our West Country challenge bike rides, so each day there will be a choice of rides available of varying distances from 40-80 miles (with climbing to match).
Equally, while there will be a full programme available across the week, there's absolutely no obligation to do every ride if you don't want to - there'll be great locations & facilities on offer too, so if you fancy the odd beach, pool, town or spa day instead that's entirely up to you. Those options WILL be available to you as well!
Our initial plan for this inaugural trip is to limit numbers to a maximum of around 30 people (so approx 8-10 per group), but at the same time we probably do need at least 20 participants to make the idea at all viable - hence why we're asking for expressions of serious interest at this stage.
So please click on the following highlighted link to see full details on our proposed GWR Mallorca Cycling Trip.
And then, if you're definitely interested, please complete this very short Expression of Interest form to let us know.
¡MUCHAS GRACIAS AMIGOS!
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October 2023
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Landmark Fundraising Effort
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We've now gathered as much information as we can on the overall fundraising effort from our cycling challenges this year and it looks like the combined fundraising figure for 2023 is around £34,000, which also means that over £500,000 - HALF A MILLION! - has now been raised in total for good causes by our riders since we started!
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That overall figure is truly staggering, and we're enormously grateful to everyone who has contributed over the years - it's quite simply a phenomenal amount and we're humbled & amazed by the generosity that people have consistently shown to achieve this incredible total.
This year was no exception either, despite the challenging economic climate - once again several different charities and causes benefitted from riders' efforts & exertions in 2023, and every year we're pleased to see a wide range of causes being supported.
And we're especially delighted to see that our new official charity partner, Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, received tremendous support in its first year with us - to the extent that £26,000 of this year's total went to this fantastic local charity.
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So obviously we'd like to say a massive and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to everyone who rose to one or more of our cycling challenges and raised money this year - it's a significant amount at a time when fundraising isn't easy, and this is entirely down to the efforts and commitment of sponsored riders and their generous supporters.
We would appreciate it if fundraising riders could also share this news with the people who supported them, together with our thanks and appreciation for EVERYONE who contributed, and of course we very much hope that lots of people will enter and at least consider fundraising again next year - and help us to push on towards that magical £1 million figure!
THANKS AGAIN, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN 2024 :)
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September 2023
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NEW! GWR Withdrawals Policy
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We want to do everything we can to make it easy for people to enter our events at the earliest opportunity, because it can make a big difference to us AND to our riders:
FOR US
Having a good idea of likely numbers helps us massively with our planning and preparations, especially when so many elements have to be booked/ordered/paid for well in advance in order to be able to deliver the standards, services & facilities that we want to offer.
FOR RIDERS
Entering early gives people plenty of time to prepare & practise for their challenge; it can provide the motivation that's sometimes needed to get out & ride; it's definitely something positive to look forward to over the winter months; and, for those who make good use of the available preparation time, it should hopefully lead to those people generally feeling fitter, happier and healthier as a result.
So, to encourage & facilitate early sign-up, we've come up with a very clear and transparent 'withdrawals policy' for our riders for 2024 that we believe is both fair to riders and to us.
Obviously, hopefully everyone appreciates that there comes a point at which we have to fully commit on all our services & expenditure etc (exactly the same as any other event) so the options available to us inevitably reduce as the event date approaches, however if anyone who's entered for any of our events in 2024 needs to withdraw for ANY reason then the following options will be available:
ANY TIME UP TO 8 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EVENT DATE
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Entry fee refund (minus £5 admin fee);
or -
Entry transferred to one of our other events in the same year, if still available (FREE);
or -
Entry carried forward to the same event for the following year (FREE);
or -
Entry transferred to another person (FREE).
UP TO 3 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EVENT DATE
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Entry transferred to one of our other events in the same year, if still available (FREE);
or -
Entry carried forward to the same event for the following year (FREE);
or -
Entry transferred to another person (FREE).
UP TO 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE EVENT
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Entry transferred to another person (FREE).
So, as you can see, if something unexpected happens or crops up after you've entered with us there are options available right up until just THREE DAYS before the event - our view is that this is a fair & reasonable approach to take; we believe it's more flexible & accommodating than most other equivalent events offer; and hopefully it will give you the confidence & the peace of mind to get your entry in NOW via our Online Entry page.
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So come on, it really does make a difference - enter early and help us to help you!
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