Former English rugby union star Phil Vickery MBE is set to put some serious peddling under his feet this year as he tackles three monster rides for Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby which seeks to improve the quality and prospect of life for disadvantaged children and young people across the four home nations. Over a period of eight weeks the former England Captain and British Lion will take part in all five of charity’s flagship challenges including the 760mile trek from London to Monte Carlo (June 7-15), with an impressive 28,000 feet of climb and in a time of just 8.5 days, the ‘End2End Bike Ride’ from John O’Groats to Land’s End (7.5 days, 850miles), and the TNT Great British Bike Ride (September 3-7) a five-day slog over 350miles from Land’s End to Twickenham, for a hero’s welcome from the crowd at the Aviva Premiership Rugby London ‘Double Header.’ Off the saddle, Vickery will also be tackling The Ford Ranger Great Lakeland Challenge and taking part in the famed Four Peaks Challenge to climb the four highest mountain peaks in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland in just 48 hours…
Commenting on the commitment to the challenges ahead, Vickery says: ‘What I have agreed to do this year will be extremely difficult not just physically, but also mentally and it will be hard on my family. The training I am currently putting in, is already taking it toll, and in the weeks and months leading up to the events, I want to be cycling around two to three hundred miles a week and running around 20 miles as well, which no matter how fit you are takes up a lot of hours of the day, but I am hoping the sense of achievement of both completing the challenges and the money we will raise, will more than make up for the sacrifice.’
For more information and to see how you can support both this incredible effort and amazing charity see: woodenspoon.com
