Biking duo prepare for charity epic in a bid to raise £53k

Two #ride5000miles members from Willington, County Durham, are hoping to break a world record by riding to 50 countries in 20 days in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Having previously completed two charity tours, the pair are hoping to raise a total of £53k, with the trip across Europe taking 23 days.

“We like seeing the different scenery and from a bike you get to see views that you don’t see in a car, or on an aeroplane,” said 60-year-old fundraiser, Trev Atkinson, who will be joined on the ride by 53-year-old builder, Tony Hurworth.

“I nursed a terminally ill wife for two years and without Macmillan’s support it would have been a real struggle. Tony’s partner’s mother has been diagnosed, too,” Atkinson added. “It’s such a worthwhile cause and we wanted to support a charity that people could get behind everywhere.”

Both are members of a motorcycle charity group called the ‘Burn Bear Bikers’, who meet at The Burn Inn, Willington and adopt a cuddly bear as their mascot during rides.

Although no definite start date has been set, the riders hope to embark on the trip next June, starting in Scotland and visiting nations including Russia, Estonia and Albania, before finishing up in Portugal.

They are currently awaiting correspondence from Guinness to see if the 11,000-mile route qualifies as a new world record. And they have promised to keep the R5K Facebook group up to date on their progress.

Tony added: “We will see some exceptional countries that you’d never normally see, but if you’re going to do it and raise some money for charity, it makes it all worthwhile.”

The riders will begin fundraising early next year, hoping to appear at a number of events, including the MCN Festival of Motorcycling and the MCN London Motorcycle Show.

More from MCN

• R5K goes on tour of Europe’s rudest place names
• Who says you can’t tour on a Harley?
• Female riders take on the R5K challenge