Mountain bikers raise cash for route repairs

Above: Charity bike riders aim to raise £500 to help repair Cut Gate bridleway in the Peak District National Park. Image ⓒ Ewa Tryniecka

Employees Jim Thomason (customer and business support adviser) and Mark Anderson (North Lees estate ranger) will be following the Peak District National Park’s boundary on their mountain bikes to raise money for the badly eroded Cut Gate bridleway.

Known by mountain bikers as ‘the Bog of Doom’ because of its muddy state in wet weather, Cut Gate is an old packhorse route, on the Upper Derwent moors between Ladybower reservoir and Langsett. It is popular with walkers, runners, mountain bikers and horse riders.

Starting out on Friday 14 September, the National Park boundary route will see Jim and Mark pedalling for four days taking in the urban edges of Sheffield and Oldham, the South Pennine moorlands, the gentle limestone scenery of the Derbyshire Dales, the rugged moors of Staffordshire and the undulating slopes of Cheshire.

Jim Thomason said: “We’re aiming to raise £500 for the Cut Gate appeal and we’ve been training all summer to get to peak fitness for the ride. It’s the longest ride I’ll have ever done but it’s worthwhile to help protect one of the best single track mountain bike routes in the UK.”

Mark Anderson said: “Cut Gate is a classic route with spectacular views – it gives you the feeling of being out in the wilds – but it’s in desperate need of repair. The problem is when it rains it’s almost impossible to negotiate, so it’s important that we all do what we can to help look after it.

“We’re raising money to help mend it and stop the surrounding moorland from being eroded. This will help protect vital habitats and keep carbon locked in the peat. It will make the route more sustainable, that way we can all continue to enjoy it for years to come.”

People can follow Jim and Mark’s progress via their blog:
https://peakdistrictnationalparkmtbtheboundary.wordpress.com/
Or on twitter: #BikingTheBoundary #MendOurMountains

People can show their support for Jim and Mark’s pedal-power by:
-texting cutg99 then their amount to 70070,
-donating at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/BikingtheBoundary

The Cut Gate appeal is for £70,000 and is part of the national Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million campaign organised by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) in partnership with the UK national parks to raise money for vital path repair projects
https://mendmountains.thebmc.co.uk/donations/cut-gate/

The campaign has two appeals in the Peak District National Park, the other is for the Great Ridge between Mam Tor and Losehill, above Castleton.

If people are inspired by Jim and Mark’s efforts to do a sponsored challenge for Cut Gate or for the Great Ridge, they can download a Mend Our Mountains fundraising pack from http://mendmountains.thebmc.co.uk/fundraise/