I want to ride my bicycle

We were as amazed as anybody when super-kid Harrison Nicholson, only 10 years old, signed up to ride 50 miles for us this weekend in the Coventry bike ride.

Last year, Harrison cycled the 30 mile route for us and was heard to say at the finish line; “That was easy Mum, I want to do 50 miles next year!”

And this amazing lad is doing just that, surprising even his parents. Mum, Kylie, isn’t sure that she will be able to cycle anywhere near 50 miles so she is going half way with him - at which point his dad, John, will be taking over.

Harrison says, “I like riding my bike because I love the speed and the thrill of riding along the Canal. I love cycling with my Mum and Dad and try to cycle further with them every time – so this weekend will be fantastic.”

Harrison’s story has created loads of excitement – locals in Coventry will be able to catch him tonight on BBC Radio Coventry and Warwick, as well as on Mercia Radio tomorrow night.

Harrison really wants to cycle with kids his own age, so if you know anyone taking part who might like to do that, they will find Harrison at the registration flag before the start of the event this Sunday.

There are 17 kids taking part who are under 16, and the oldest participant is an amazing 70 years old –all ages and abilities are welcome! There is still time to enter and encourage Harrison and the other cyclists in this fantastic event.

If you want to join Harrison this year, visit our website. You can tailor-make your personal challenge by choosing between the 30 and 50 mile routes along the rural roads of

Warwickshire, taking in autumnal colours of the beautiful English countryside. Adults are £15 and children are £5 on the day and the ride starts at 9am this Sunday, 3rd October.

You can sponsor Harrison by visiting his Just Giving page.

On your marks for London to Brighton 2009!

For the first time ever, we're pleased to announce that this year you'll be able to register online for the nation's favourite charity cycling event, our own London to Brighton Bike Ride which takes place on Sunday 21 June.

Entrants to most other BHF bike rides have enjoyed online registration facilities for several years, but with around 27,000 participants in London to Brighton it's a much bigger undertaking than our other smaller, regionally-based events.

A number of L2B entrants who have qualified for priority places in this year's ride - by raising £125 or more in last year's event - have been using the new online registration system successfully since last month.

Standard place online registration starts from 1 March and you will be able to access it then at
bhf.org.uk/london-brighton

Find out more about the ride, how you can enter offline, plus see videos, photos and reports from the 2008 event, in our London to Brighton Bike Ride section

Have you ever taken part in the ride, and would you like to recommend anyone else to do it?
Do you have any training tips or fundraising advice etc?
If so, please leave a comment below...

Date announced for 2009 BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride

We thought you'd like to know that we've just announced the date for our 2009 BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride. It's Sunday 21 June.

We'll be publishing further details of how to register to enter the Ride - which is the largest charity cycle event of its kind in Europe - from mid-December this year.

The 54-mile event is our biggest fundraising event, raising over £3.9m in 2007. This year we're hoping the Ride will raise even more to help continue our lifesaving work.

Cyclists really took the event to heart this year, with all places selling out weeks beforehand. And since we became involved in 1980, over £42 million has been raised for us.

You can see photos from this year's Ride and also read comments from those who part. There are also TV news reports of the event on our BHF YouTube Channel

Did you take part in the Ride this year? Would you recommend it to others interested in taking part? Are you already looking forward to it? Let us know by posting your comments below!

10th Anniversary Over the Edge ride

The 10th Anniversary Over the Edge Bike Ride, organised in partnership with our friends at Trans Pennine Cycle Club, took place earlier this month.

Of the 400+ cyclists who took part in the challenge, around half took on the arduous 55 mile route from Hollingworth Lake, over Blackstone Edge and into the East Lancashire and West Yorkshire moors.

Others opted for the silver and bronze routes, among them a number of families who rode together.

As always there were a lot of regular riders, who take on the challenge year after year, as well as new faces.

Special thanks to David Geldard, Colin Fielding, Phil Dean & everyone involved at Trans Pennine Cycle Club and of course to everyone who has raised money for the BHF by taking part.

Take a look at the photos on our BHF Flickr page

If you would like to buy professional prints of any of the photos you can place an order with photographer James Lester on 01925 819 804. And, in doing so, you'll help us raise vital funds through donations we receive from photo sales.

100 mile battle of the Ride of the Roses

If Martyn's Tour de France challenge whetted your apetite to get into the saddle and take on the hills, you may want to consider our August Ride of the Roses as a closer to home and slightly less taxing option.

This 100 mile bike ride sets off from Lancaster University and follows the varied and breathtaking landscapes of Northern England, including the stunning Trough of Bowland, Gisburn Forest and the rugged unspoilt scenery of the Yorkshire Dales.

The severity of the climbs is not quite up there with the French Alps but, with the majority of the route taking place on rural roads, there are some steep gradients and challenging hills to overcome before reaching the finish line in historic York.

Find out more and register for the 2008 BHF Ride of the Roses.