Peak District charity bike challenge

The Steel Valley Ride will aim to raise funds for the Steel Valley Project when it is held on Saturday July 14 - a countryside management charity in Stocksbridge that is working to improve the environment for people and wildlife in the Upper Don area.

The event, which was first held in 2016, will return to Stocksbridge this year after taking last year off to celebrate the Tour de Yorkshire coming to town.

A proportion of the overall entry fees will go to the British Mountaineering Council’s ‘Mend our Mountains’ campaign to raise funds for the iconic Cut Gate bridleway in the Peak District, which forms part of the route.

As an added incentive this year, participants can choose to be sponsored for the event and those raising over £100 for the Steel Valley Project will be able to claim back their entry fee.

Event organiser Tom Newman said: “Riders entering the event will be able to enjoy a day of mountain biking across remote moorland, riding technical trails and descents which will satisfy anyone with a thirst for adventure.”

The first Steel Valley Ride, in July 2016, attracted about 100 participants. In 2017, the charity decided to host a charity ‘gravel’ ride instead, to coincide with and mark the Tour de Yorkshire finishing in Stocksbridge.

The Steel Valley Project in Stocksbridge was formed in 1988 and delivers environmental, community and countryside projects in the area. The organisation is a registered charity, working towards managing local habitats for the benefit of wildlife, people, heritage and landscape, Encouraging access to open green space/wider countryside, delivering environmental, education, and interpretation to local schools. It also aims to pProvide support, advice, training and supervision to volunteers, trainees and

community groups in countryside management and conservation skills, by working on real local environmental projects. Much of the work carried out by the organisation’s volunteer team, working on practical and community activities throughout the year.

This year’s Steel Valley Ride mountain bike route will start and finish at Trek Sheffield, at Fox Valley, who are event partners and have donated a pair of Bontrager Flat Line shoes, which retails at £119.99, and which will be up for grabs in a prize draw for the first 50 entrants.

Entries for the ride are already open and the charity has recommended early entry to avoid disappointment, as numbers on the day will be limited.

Visit www.steelvalleyride.wordpress.com for more information on the Steel Valley Ride, including how to enter.

Visit www.steelvalleyproject.org for details on The Steel Valley Project, and to find out about getting involved as a volunteer.