Vaughan returns for cricket tour – on his bike

FOR any cricket fan, it is a once-in-a-lifetime – if slightly arduous – way of seeing England’s much-anticipated clashes with the old enemy.
Laureus Academy Ambassador Michael Vaughan races in a time trial during the PruProtect Chance to Ride LaunchLaureus Academy Ambassador Michael Vaughan races in a time trial during the PruProtect Chance to Ride Launch
Laureus Academy Ambassador Michael Vaughan races in a time trial during the PruProtect Chance to Ride Launch

A charity bike ride is being organised to stop off at each of the grounds which will be hosting the one-day international series against Australia this summer – with Headingley the starting point for a journey which will total a saddle-sore inducing 462 miles over 12 days.

And anyone taking part can be assured of an incisive look back at the day’s play as former England captain Michael Vaughan will be leading out the ride with the aim of raising £500,000 for sporting charities.

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The former Yorkshire batsman crossed the Pennines yesterday to official launch the charity ride and begin his training with an hour-long stint at the home of British cycling at the Manchester Velodrome.

He said: “It was a real honour to cycle around the same track where some of Britain’s greatest cyclists have trained and competed. There is a real aura about the National Cycling Centre and I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to train there.

“The cycle ride has been based around the cricket to give people the chance to take in the games while also heading out to raise money for some great causes.

“There is no better time to be organising something like this as cycling’s profile has never been higher, thanks to the Olympics and the success of Bradley Wiggins in last year’s Tour de France.

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“It would have been hard to think only a few years ago that Wiggins and Mark Cavendish would have become household names, but they fully deserve it.

“It’s special to be setting off from Headingley as it’s my home ground, and I really hope that there are a lot of Yorkies who take the opportunity to sign up.”

Cyclists will be given the opportunity to join Vaughan and the host of famous faces he is enlisting for each stage of the ride throughout the five-match series.

The first stage will set off from Headingley the day after the game on September 6, arriving in Manchester following an 80-mile ride that will take in the Yorkshire Dales. It will give riders a taste of some of the challenges which will be faced by the world’s cycling elite when the Tour de France’s Grand Départ is staged in Yorkshire next summer.

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Among the famous names who have agreed to join Vaughan on stages of the ride are Olympic gold medal cyclist Victoria Pendleton as well as former England cricketers Andrew Strauss and Phil Tufnell.

Sponsorship will be split between the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which uses sport to help deal with some of the world’s biggest social challenges from gang crime to HIV and AIDs, and the Cricket Foundation’s Chance to Shine scheme that aims to introduce a new generation of schoolchildren to the sport.

Vaughan is also auctioning off sought-after memorabilia and lots which have already gone under the hammer include a signed shirt from England and Yorkshire’s batting star Joe Root, which was bought by Piers Morgan for £1,500.

The Chance to Ride event - which is being sponsored by insurance firm PruProtect and Yorkshire Tea – will include a total of four stages taking in Headingley, Old Trafford, Edgbaston, the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff and the Ageas Bowl in Southampton before finally arriving in London on September 17.

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Collections will be held at each of the grounds during the games to get spectators to donate cash to help reach the six-figure target.

Vaughan is looking to recruit 50 fund-raisers for each stage to join him and the other celebrity cyclists, who are also due to include Olympic gymnastics silver medallist Louis Smith and former Westife singer Nicky Byrne.

While Vaughan is following a training regime of up to five hours a week in the gym, he stressed the ride will be suitable for all abilities.

He said: “I have done a lot of cycling since I retired from cricket, and I find it is something where you can get away from it all and collect your thoughts – some of my best ideas have come while I have been out on the bike.

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“I really respect the ethics, commitment and hard work that have been instilled into the Great Britain cycling team, and cycling is now seen as a true team sport.”

The Chance to Ride event will not, however, be Vaughan’s first attempt to raise funds for charity while in the saddle. He has undertaken two charity rides for Laureus in recent years including cycling from Cork to Dublin in 2011. He also competed in a leg of the International Triathlon Union World Championship Series in Hyde Park in London last year.

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THe home of Yorkshire cricket will mark the start of a charity ride which will take in some of the grounds ingrained in the game’s folklore.

After England’s first one-day clash with Australia on September 6, 50 cyclists will join Vaughan to travel from Headingley to Manchester to see the second match at Old Trafford.

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The second stage will head from Manchester to Edgbaston, before the next leg from Birmingham to Cardiff’s Swalec Stadium via the Brecon Beacons. The final stage will go from Cardiff to Southampton’s Ageas Bowl and then to London on September 17.

There is a £250 registration fee and a minimum fund-raising target of £1,200. More information is available at www.chancetoride.co.uk