Riding on Route 66

TWO Saddleworth businessman are making a remarkable charity fund-raising trip of a lifetime — riding bicycles more than 2,000 miles on a legendary American highway.

Alan Rothwell and Gary Torr left for their epic journey along Route 66 on Friday in a mammoth bid to raise cash for a hospice which provides palliative care for children with terminal conditions.

They are part of the GM fund-raising team dedicated to help provide a proportion of £4 million a year for services to families of children at Hope House Hospice which receives only nominal support from the NHS.

Their amazing charity journey — Hope 66 — will take them 2,626 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica in California where they are scheduled to arrive on Saturday, September 14.

And, as part of a 15-strong cycling squad plus support staff, they face 100-plus mile days in the saddle, crossing the Arizona desert with temperatures in excess of 40 degrees and torturous climbing of the southern Rocky Mountains, with altitudes of more than 8,000ft. This latest adventure was launched at the Manchester Velodrome, home to British cycling.

Each rider and the six-strong members of the support team are funding the entire trip themselves, ensuring every penny raised goes directly to Hope House. More than £850,000 has now been raised, with the aim to reach £1million in the next 18 months.

To make a donation visit www.justgiving.com/rothwell66.

To follow the team’s progress, visit www.gmfundraising.com.

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