Riders gearing up for scenic coast-to-coast charity ride

The Off-Road Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge was officially unveiled yesterday and will take place this summer along a route from Cumbria to Scarborough.

Singer-songwriter Alistair Griffin, who appeared in the BBC's Fame Academy, and former professional footballer Craig Hignett, who had spells with Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Barnsley, are among those taking part in the three-day ride to raise cash for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Cyclists will start out from Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria on July 1, before the course follows off-road routes and cycle trails through southern Lakeland and on to the Yorkshire Dales. After passing through the North York Moors, the bike ride will end at Scarborough.

It will follow a similar route to the famous Coast to Coast Walk, from St Bee's Head in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay, which was voted the world's second best long distance trail after New Zealand's Milford Trail.

Registration for the bike ride costs 50 while accommodation and food range from 180 to 260. More details are available at www.purplemountain.co.uk/mariecuriecoast2coast/ or by calling Cheryl Barrett on 01723 378111.