The Ride

We are delighted to bring you news of our 2024 ride, featuring the Mayenne river, which will take place between the 6th and 12th July.

When it started back in 1986, charity cycle events were rare. The London to Brighton ride had begun in 1980 and an annual cycle event in South Wales for Banardo’s dates from 1982 but as far we can tell we are the longest running multi-day ride and certainly the first one to regularly cross the channel.

There's a place for you

The success of the Hayling Cycle Ride, on so many levels, is outstanding. It is not just the money raised, which is well over £1.7m but also the friendships, the camaraderie, the fun, the “spin off” rides and the interest generated in cycling for so many. Riders have come and joined us from all quarters. The diversity and spirit of the riders who remain so enthusiastic year after year is truly humbling. Lord David Willets once described the Bike Ride as a ‘Unique Hayling Institution’. It remains so, although riders have come from 15 different countries. It is clearly a ride that has extended way beyond its original roots.

This year's ride is a mixture of old routes and new ones. 2024 is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the ride will take you along the Normandy beaches on the last day.

The ride will start at the Portsmouth ferry terminal. We'll catch the 8.15pm sailing on Saturday 6th July to St Malo, arriving at 8am local time on Sunday 7th July.

The route:

  • Sunday: We cycle from St Malo to Rennes in Brittany, a city of art and history and some fabulous shops! c50 miles
  • Monday: We go to Laval, a very pretty town with the River Mayenne running through it. c51 miles
  • Tuesday: We travel from Laval to Flers using dedicated cycle paths alongside the river Mayenne; stunning scenery and we hope to arrange a surprise along the way (but nothing is confirmed yet). c68 miles
  • Wednesday: Flers to Port en Bessin via Bayeux - our toughest day cycling-wise. Port en Bessin is a gorgeous fishing village with several Michelin starred restaurants! There are plenty of other good restaurants with more reasonable prices. c73 miles
  • Thursday: Fancy dress day. Cycling to Caen along the Normandy beaches. As it is the 80th Anniversary of the D-day landings there is a lot to see in the various museums along the route. Fortunately it is a short day so you have plenty of time. We also have the last night party, with a meal and DJ, so bring your dancing shoes. c45 miles
  • On Friday, we'll catch the 8.30am ferry from Caen (Ouistreham), arriving back in Portsmouth at 13.30pm local time. From there we'll ride back to Hayling.

    The French roads await you

    Cost

    The ride is priced at £690. The cost includes:

    • Return ferry transportation - including shared cabin for the overnight crossing.
    • Five night's accommodation including breakfast
    • An official Ride 2024 cycling shirt
    • Full support en route including snacks and water
    • Support vans to carry your luggage each day
    • Celebration dinner on the last night

    With a price like this we can rightly claim that not only are we the first long distance charity cycle ride but also the best value!

    If you prefer not to share a room with another rider, you can opt to pay a single room supplement of £225. Single rooms are not guaranteed and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

    butt_join
    Entry information: Kim Hopkinson via e-mail haylingcycleride@gmail.com. Our Q&A page is full of useful information and tips.

    Booking

    To ensure you have a place please complete our online entry form and send a £150 (non-refundable) deposit.

    Places will be allocated strictly in order of deposits received.

    Join the ride

    Click here to fill out an entry form for the 2024 Hayling Cycle Ride

    Notes about the routes

    For those interested there are 5 stages to prepare the route:

    1. We check hotel suitability, capacity and availability for the towns or cities we plan to visit.
    2. We visit the hotels to book them and to check their suitability for bike storage etc.
    3. We use GPS mapping software which is excellent for plotting very detailed routes to download onto a TomTom or Garmin device (usually both).
    4. The route is driven and carefully checked to note road signs and other important features including way stops and to note towns to eat and drink. We will identify good check points for support to put into the notes where appropriate.
    5. There is always a final recce about 2 weeks before we leave. The French love to dig up their roads! In almost every ride we have experienced at least one route barré as most of you know.

    We will arrange for the route notes and GPX files to be available on the website for you to download approximately 7 days before the ride. We will also brief you on insurance and other requirements.

    Terms and conditions

    1. All participants in this event do so at their own risk and accept that the organisers have no legal liability in any regard. It is a condition of entry that riders will wear a helmet whilst cycling.
    2. The money raised by this event is distributed to charitable causes nominated by the organising committee and individual riders. Whilst every effort is made to comply with rider requests, we cannot guarantee that every nomination will receive a donation, although 100% of personal sponsorship money raised is distributed to charitable causes. Donations made to charities will reflect the fund-raising efforts of individual participants.
    3. All participants hereby agree to pay promptly all monies raised, will use their best endeavours to raise a sum in excess of £150 and will inform the organisers of the amount collected, in the event of the money being sent directly to their chosen charity, the name of which shall also be confirmed, once sent.
    4. In the event of any participant cancelling, the initial deposit is non-refundable. Other refunds are not usually payable for any payments made after the end of May. You will understand that the Ride has to commit to hotels, ferries and the support costs of the ride and those monies cannot be recovered. Refunds are at the discretion of the committee and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
    5. You must obtain an GHIC travel card and carry it with you on the Ride, together with your personal insurance documents. Public liability insurance only is carried by the organisers.
    6. Personal travel insurance requirements must be dealt with on an individual basis. By accepting the terms and conditions for the ride you agree to take out this insurance.
    7. The event is not a race - our basic philosophy is to help others, whilst having fun. Riders are assisted by a number of support vehicles and are encouraged to ride at their own comfortable pace.
    8. Organisers have the discretion to refuse entry.
    9. The organisers reserve the right to impose a surcharge of up to £50 in the event of unforeseen costs or currency fluctuations.
    10. The organisers may require a copy of your passport to assist when leaving and entering the UK and/or France.
    11. Hotel room mini-bars should be locked but, if used, the cost will be individually recovered during the Ride, as will hotel telephone bills.
    12. A limited range of bike spares can be purchased, at cost, from support vehicles where available.
    13. High energy drinks, sweets, cakes, bananas and other sustenance and also basic medical supplies will be provided by support where available.
    14. Whilst we might recommend way and lunch stops, it is for each rider to decide where they choose to stop. Some riders prefer to stop more frequently than others, so please think about this carefully each day during the trip.
    15. Whilst the standard age for entries is 14 and above, the committee will exercise its discretion in all cases where a riders age is under 14 at the time of the Ride. Any child must be capable of completing the entire ride without support as with any other rider. We have never had any problems in the past on this point with young riders. The safety of all riders is paramount and you will understand that at times support can be stretched to cope with riders who need assistance. It is therefore essential that each young rider is accompanied at all times whether cycling or otherwise by a responsible adult. That would usually be a parent of the child but not necessarily. That means one child to one responsible adult. If you wish to bring a child on the Ride we will always try to exercise our discretion in a positive manner but clearly there can be no guarantee that the child will be accepted as a participant. If you wish to make an application please send full details of the child and the responsible adult to haylingcycleride@gmail.com
    16. We will retain your entry details so that you will receive updates about the ride and any future events. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time please let us know.