Thursday 3rd July to Monday 7th July 2025
Ride Information
For any questions about any of the below or anything to do with the ride please email info@bikingforchildrenincare.co.uk
We will send out more information via email and on the whatsApp group.
Start
Meet at Exeter St Davids station at 12.00 on Thursday 3rd July
Travel
For those who are travelling on a group ticket to Exeter St Davids the train is from Paddington at 9:34 or Reading at 10:02 train.
If you told us you wanted a train ticket you should receive it via email/WhatsApp before the end of June. The return train for group tickets is 11:30 from Southhampton to Waterloo.
Route
Thursday 3rd July afternoon: Exeter to Sidmouth (transport from Sidmouth to Seaton)
Friday 4th July: Seaton to Weymouth (excluding KILLER HILL)
Saturday 5th July: Weymouth to Bournemouth
Sunday 6th July: Bournemouth to Southampton
Monday 7th July: Depart Southampton
Important documents
Rider to do list
• Make sure your bike has been serviced, and everything is working well before the ride.
• Please send in a photo of yourself for the people’s list
• Complete Emergency Medical Details and bring in an envelope marked with your name
Accommodation
Participants will have accommodation booked for 4 nights (unless you advise us otherwise).
We have asked for your room share preferences and will allocate as well as we can. Single rooms are not always available but if you request one we will ask you to pay a single room supplement to cover the extra cost.
Full hotel contact details can be found in the Itinerary and Contact information document which will be circulated via email and WhatsApp.
Deposit and fees
The total cost of the ride is £450 (payable to Biking for Children in Care; Santander 09-01-29; Account no 49890136) and the balance is due by 10th May 2025.
This covers four nights accommodation, breakfasts, lunches and two evening meals.
Sponsorship
You are asked to raise sponsorship for the ride, in aid of Become. The target for each rider is £600. If your employer operates a matched fund raising scheme we can ensure that Become provides any necessary paperwork.
Become is a registered charity and all the money we raise from this ride will go to help improve the lives of children and young people in public care and care leavers. We can raise additional funds through sponsors agreeing to gift aid their donations, if possible.
For more information about the great work that the charity does visit their website www.becomecharity.org.uk.
We have a team fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/bfcic2025 and you can set up your own page from here using the "Start Fundraising" button. For further details please see the information on the become website (www.becomecharity.org.uk/bfcic) which includes steps to set up a JustGiving page.
Personal Safety and Insurance
You will be responsible for yourself and your bike. We strongly recommend you arrange insurance and that you wear a helmet.
Food
Breakfast, mid-morning and afternoon snacks and lunch (en route) will all be provided. Evening meals on the first and last nights will also be arranged and paid for as part of the trip. You should make your own arrangements for dinner on Friday and Saturday night. If you have any allergies that we should be aware of please let us know.
Transporting bikes and overnight bags
The vehicles can take bikes from Twickenham to Exeter and back to Twickenham from Southampton. The vehicles will carry your overnight bag during the ride. We will have an emergency support vehicle available in case of difficulties on the ride.
Bikes for transport should be delivered to Gill by 18.00hrs on Wednesday 2nd July. The full address is in the Itinerary and Contact information document.
On the ride
There will be 60 cyclists on the ride. We keep together on the route by having marker system and dedicated front and back teams. The “front” lead the way and instruct people when and where to mark corners. The back keeps us all together and help out with mechanicals and pick up those left marking corners. We also have a roaming mechanic who is on hand to help with anything bike related during the ride. We have planned stops every 10-15 miles.
Support team
We have 13 amazing people on our support team this year driving eight vehicles.
We have people driving trucks, campervans and cars, a catering team, a medical response team and a snack team. The support team are not professionals but have volunteered to make all this possible! They will get the vehicles and bikes to where they need to be; they will ensure we are fed and watered at regular intervals; they will help us out in case of emergencies and will carry our overnight bags during the day so we can bike light - you will only need essential equipment with you on the bike during the day. Between them, the support team will provide emergency cover, stock up on food and water and provide a sumptuous lunch and snacks during the morning and afternoon stops.
Those who have already ridden with Biking for Children in Care will know that spotting the support team up ahead is always a joy, signalling a break from pedalling and time for some refreshment. The support team aim to arrive just when we need them, they work extremely hard. They make the ride go smoothly and are the reason so many cyclists come back year after year!
Biking for Children in Care Ltd
Biking for Children in Care is a limited company, anyone signing up for the ride will be deemed to be a member of the company; membership makes you liable for up to £10 in the event that the company is wound-up.
The planning team works hard to make the ride go smoothly. We ask participants to alert people to the challenges faced by children in care and care experienced individuals; we will raise funds for the impressive work of Become.
The support team (driving trucks, providing lunches and snacks on the ride and emergency back up) make the whole trip considerably more comfortable for the cyclists. We don’t offer any guarantees but we do our best to make the experience fun and the biking challenging, safe and not too hard!!!
Dates for your diary
Training rides will take place on:
14 June 2025 at 9:00 - Twickenham to Hove
Jurassic Coast Ride:
2 July 2025 – Bikes due at APG by 18:00
3 July 2025 – Set off from Exeter St Davids
6 July 2025 – Ride finishes in Southhampton
7 July 2025 – Return home and pick up bikes from APG (16:00-19:00)