Manea councillor Mark gears up for gruelling charity bike ride

Cycling for charity (Image: Archant)

Mark Buckton has signed up for the Lap of Anglia ride in aid of the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Described as “one lap of Anglia, four days, 400 gruelling miles, one great cause”, it will start at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn on August 10, returning in the evening of August 13.

Cllr Buckton, who represents Manea on Fenland District Council, has been training for the event with Duo Velo, a March-based business specialising in cycle coaching and events.

Its owners Darren Finley and Theresa Chapman are passionate supporters of the charity. They met Mark, a member of the Fenland Tourism Partnership, at a tourism business networking event in April and have since been working with him to get him fit for the challenge.

Mark said: “It’s going to be a really tough four days.

“I was a keen cyclist when I was young but I haven’t cycled for around 30 years.

“I’ve been training as hard as I can and getting some great coaching and advice from Darren and Theresa but at my age and condition it still feels a bit daft.

“Taking part in the Lap of Anglia seemed a great way not only of supporting a very worthy cause but also of promoting the district as a great place for people to visit.

“Fenland is perfect for cycling - not least because it’s so flat – as well as for fishing, walking and other outdoor pursuits.”

Mark and the other riders will travel through Fenland on the final day of the journey – the longest and hardest leg, taking them 110 miles from Luton to King’s Lynn. They will go through Bedford, Peterborough, Guyhirn and Wisbech to the finishing post at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Theresa said: “Mark’s doing amazingly well - fitter, stronger, more depicture termined and somehow finding the much needed time to train. “We just need to step up the tempo a bit in the last few weeks before the ride.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/Mark-Buckton2