Through the ride we will raise funds, to enable children and young people in Malawi to complete their education and fulfil their potential.

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While this is a demanding adventure, we aim for the ride to be as inclusive and enjoyable. Whether you enter on your own, with friends, colleagues or family, we will make you welcome and ensure that everyone feels safe and able to enjoy the trip.

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Please complete the form here if you are interested in getting involved, and share this page with anyone you know who might be keen.

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Our route

 

Our 500 mile route passes through many historic towns, and some of Britain's best cycling areas. These include the dramatic north Pennines, and riding over the Humber Bridge, the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world which can be crossed by bicycle.

Read more about our route here

 

When is it?

 

We will depart on Saturday 5 August 2023, and will ride 80-110 miles per day for six days in order to reach Glasgow on 10 August. This will allow us to catch the final three days of the world championships. Road, track, mountain biking and BMX finals are all taking place on these days.

 

Why join us?

 

In August 2023, what is being billed as ‘the biggest cycling event ever’ will take place in Glasgow. It will include World Championships for road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking and BMX among other events. Our ride will be a unique chance to travel to this celebration of cycling in the most fitting way possible - on two wheels.

 

By joining our ride, volunteering with its organisation or sponsoring a rider, you can make a big difference to the future of children in one of the world’s poorest countries. Think Malawi have a large number of projects in need of funding, and a shortage of funds to make them happen.

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Who are we?

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Think Malawi is a small UK-registered charity which supports education projects in Malawi. We help children in Malawi to fulfil their potential in many ways, such as sanitary pad projects enabling girls to stay in school, constructing desks and innovating through remote learning projects. We work with a number of Malawian partner organisations, who listen closely to their communities in identifying needs and developing projects to address them.

 

Steve McInerny, founder and a trustee of the charity, is the main organiser of the ride. He has organised sponsored rides for the charity twice before. In 2004-5 he was part of a small team of hardy riders who rode from Cairo to Cape Town, via Malawi, where the seeds were sown for the founding of the charity.

 

How will it all work?

 

To give us maximum freedom, the ride will be unsupported. This means that we will carry our clothes and equipment with us, so will ride with panniers or other storage attached to our bicycles. We aim to arrange for any luggage needed by the riders after their arrival to be transported to Glasgow. 

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Where will I stay?

 

Accommodation will be in hotels, or in dormitory accommodation in any locations where suitable hotels are not available.

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How much will it cost?

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A package will be provided which includes accommodation, evening meals and breakfasts and a commemorative cycle jersey for approximately £650-£800. More riders joining us will mean that the cost will be closer to £650.

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We aim to keep costs down, are not making any profit on the travel costs.

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You will also need to pay for lunches, snacks, transport back from Glasgow and potentially for your bicycle to be couriered back to your home.

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If you wish to raise sufficient funds through sponsorship to cover your travel costs, then a minimum sponsorship total of £2,400  is required (not including Gift Aid). 

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How much sponsorship will I need to raise?

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Riders paying their own travel costs will need to raise a minimum of £800 (not including Gift Aid). We will provide advice on how to do this.

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There will be a date by which you need to raise 50% of the total, to ensure that you're on track to meet the total amount.

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How many people are joining the ride?

We are seeking a maximum of 36 riders. We will ride in small groups of up to 8 riders, with each group having a ride leader.

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What equipment do I need?

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Please read our article about acceptable cycle types and equipment here.

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Get involved or find out more

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Please complete this short form in order to register your interest in the ride, and find out more. We will keep you updated and enable you to contact others who are involved.

 

It’s still early days, so if you get involved now you can help to shape the ride - we’d love to hear your ideas. 

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If you aren’t able to join the full ride, then it may be possible to join part of it and we also need volunteers to help with its organisation.

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More ways to help

 

We welcome any offers of advice, places to stay, publicity, equipment or sponsorship. If you can help with any of these then please get in touch via our Contact page.

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FAQs

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We will stay in B&Bs and budget hotels in order to give good value. For an additional charge we can arrange accommodation in Glasgow in order to watch the world cycling championships, which we recommend!

 

We can provide advice on bikes, equipment, safety and training for the ride. 

 

By the time of the ride you need to be confident riding in groups on the road, including on stretches of main road if necessary. You should be used to riding 50+ miles in a day with panniers/luggage, and to have ridden 80+ miles at least once in preparation for the ride.

 

If you are not currently a regular rider, this will mean that you need to start preparing at least a few months before the ride.

 

Depending on the number of riders who sign up, we can set up faster and slower groups, in order to have evenly paced riders in each group.

 

Think Malawi is run entirely by volunteers, meaning that over 90% of our income goes direct to the projects in Malawi which we support.

 

We also seek sponsorship from businesses, and can help to promote these businesses during the event.

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If you have any questions, please email bicycleride@thinkmalawi.org