Yorkshire businessman to cycle length of Europe in gruelling charity challenge

Martin Mansell is riding 3,500 miles from the northern most tip of Europe to the southern most in two weeks in July.

Martin, the chief executive of online travel agency Enjoy Travel, will start his journey in Nordkapp, which lies within the Arctic Circle in Norway, and end it in Tarifa, southern Spain.

His aim is to raise £100,000 for two charities: My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which researches Motor Neurone Disease and was founded by the late Scottish rugby player Doddie Weir, and Yorkshire Children’s Charity, which supports children living with disability and hardship across the region.

Martin, from Leeds, who completed a 1,100-mile cycle from Leeds to Nice in less than seven days last summer, said the challenge is going to be a huge test of resilience, teamwork and mental toughness.

He will be joined by a team of world-class endurance cyclists.

These include Mark Beaumont, who holds the world record for both cycling around the world in less than 80 days and cycling the length of Africa from Cairo to Cape Town; Jenny Graham, world record-breaker for cycling unsupported around the world and presented documentaries with Global Cycling Network in some of the world’s wildest environments; and Hamish Graham, who has previously raced across Europe, completed a 100-mile sportive at age 12 and became one of the youngest ever finishers of the Fred Whitton challenge at 13.

“To complete the 1,100-mile ride from Leeds to Nice in just under seven days was extremely difficult and unlike anything I'd ever done before, but I wanted to go bigger this year to cycle the length of the entire continent,” Martin said.

“We’ll be riding ultra-distances day after day through extreme conditions, and despite having some great endurance athletes by my side it will still be an incredibly hard challenge for us all.

“To do this for these incredible charities that change people’s lives will be the purpose that will get us through the hardest moments.”

The riders will attempt to complete the full length of Europe, travelling through seven countries in just over two weeks, averaging 220 miles per day, in what will be the biggest Yorkshire Beast challenge to date.

It follows the success of two previous Yorkshire Beast challenges in 2024 and last year, the first raising £16,000 and the second £55,000.

Named ‘Race Europe’, the latest challenge will see the team face 24-hour daylight above the Arctic Circle, remote sub-zero temperatures, major Alpine climbs, and the scorching heat of southern Spanish heartlands and mountains in the peak of summer.

Entrepreneur Martin has pushed himself into ultra-distance endurance challenges to raise money for charity after launching the 460-mile Yorkshire Beast challenge in 2024.

Donations for ‘Race Europe’ can be made here.