One Challenge. One Day and Charity is the WINNER
The Tilnar Cycle Challenge has 5 Goals:
- To create an annual challenge that will raise huge sums for charities across the UK and beyond;
- To create the annual challenge for cyclists that becomes their once a year marathon and measure of fitness;
- To create a mass participation nationwide/worldwide cycle event. An annual celebration of cycling that inspires and motivates;
- To improve health by inspiring people to get on their bikes, train for the challenge and get fit;
- To improve road cycling safety by encouraging cyclists to wear highly visible clothing that will help save lives
Help us achieve these goals, enter today and inspire others to join the Tilnar Cycle Challenge
Our Mission Statement
The Tilnar Cycle Challenge Team are aiming to create an annual celebration of cycling that eventually hopes to become cycling’s equivalent to the marathon. A day when cyclists of all ages and abilities, unite to raise money for charity and challenge themselves to go for their longest bike ride of the year. A Challenge that gets more people on bikes, inspires the next generation and gets cycling making the news for all the right reasons. A Challenge that becomes one of your main personal targets and inspires you to ride and exercise throughout the year.
In its first year in 2015 it inspired cyclists to take part in 5 different countries around the world and helped raise over £10,000 for charity. It has been set up by a group of volunteers who have given 100s of hours of their time, and is not for profit. We hope you appreciate that the team behind the Challenge are passionate about cycling and creating a challenge that unites cyclists of all abilities. It is a grass roots movement with no government funding or nationwide or international media campaign, so please, be an early adopter, #GetInspired & #GetInvolved . Sign up this year, make a donation to charity and challenge yourself to see how far you can ride as TILNAR – This Is Life Not A Rehearsal
How The Tilnar Cycle Challenge was born
The creator of the Tilnar Cycle Challenge, Tom Hawes, is a keen road cyclist. He wanted to set himself the challenge of seeing how far he could cycle in one day each year. When Tom mentioned it with his local cycling group, they loved the idea and so the Tilnar Cycle Challenge was born.
Tom, who founded the Fair Trade distributor, Tilnar Art, established the Tilnar Cycle Challenge to help raise money for charity. In its first year, Tom wanted the entry donation to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and a charity supporting the communities in Africa linked to Tilnar Art. The UK based charity, Porridge and Rice, which supports disadvantaged children in Kenya was a natural choice due to Tilnar Art’s links to Kenya. In our second year, the Tilnar Cycle Challenge will also be supporting another charity, Re~Cycle, which recycles second hand bikes and sends them to help communities in Africa.
Oh, and just in case you wre wondering TILNAR stands for ‘This Is Life Not A Rehearsal“. For more information on Tom and Tilnar Art please visit www.tilnarart.co.uk
Tilnar’s Giraffe supporting Chris Froome during Stage 3 of the 2015 Tour de France
Tom is very excited at what the Tilnar Cycle Challenge could become: “I really believe that this will capture the imagination of cyclists everywhere and become an annual celebration of cycling. In the process, we’ll raise significant sums of money for charities. I hope it becomes a nationwide or even worldwide cycle event, a celebration of cycling for everyone, whilst allowing cyclists to test themselves against others in one event. It has inspired me already to get fitter, cycle further and train harder than I have ever done before. After the outstanding success of our first year with thousands being raised for charities and so many inspirational stories from our challengers, I am sure the Tilnar Cycle Challenge is going to grow into a significant event raising large sums for charity… Good luck everyone. Be safe and be seen for charity”
A special visit to Africa…
In October 2015, after the first Tilnar Cycle Challenge, Tom was able to visit a number of schools in the Ngando slums in Nairobi during a trip to Africa for his Fair Trade business, Tilnar Art. Tom wanted to visit the schools to see for himself how the monies donated to one of the Tilnar Cycle Challenge’s chosen charities, Porridge and Rice, were being spent. He was amazed by both the welcome he received from the teachers and pupils alike and the difference these schools were making to the children’s lives.
Please take a few moments to watch this short video
Tom comments that “It is difficult for you to appreciate looking at the pictures and the videos below the level of poverty that surrounds these schools. They really are a beacon of hope and support for these children who, without them, would be left just to roam the slums each day. Having seen it for ourselves we cannot overstate the work of Porridge and Rice in supporting these schools and the hope and security they give to every child who attends.
Help us achieve our goals, enter today and inspire others to join the Tilnar Cycle Challenge
