The aptly named Tour de Latitude will take place on the first day of the festival Thursday 12th July, giving festival goers the chance to get from one of the three start points along the route.
Latitude and Marks & Spencer are excited to present an adventurous way of travelling to the festival in 2012 – the Tour de Latitude! This initiative is set to encourage festival goers to reduce their carbon footprint by cycling their way to the festival in Suffolk, whilst raising funds for the charity Kenyan Orphan Project which supports orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya and Julie's Bicycle who help make environmental sustainability intrinsic to the creative industries.
The aptly named Tour de Latitude will take place on the first day of the festival Thursday 12th July, giving festival goers the chance to get from one of the three start points along the route, on a tour of country villages from London to the Latitude site, before the entertainment begins in the evening. The furthest starting point is Hackney in London, a whopping 113 miles from Latitude with an estimated journey time of 8-12 hours, a challenging ride for experienced riders. The second starting point is half the London distance, leaving from Sudbury near Colchester, 55 miles from the festival with an estimated journey time of 3-5 hours, while the final starting point is Ipswich, 35 miles from Henham Park estimated at 2-4 hours.
All three routes are very scenic, with only small hills, so all levels and abilities are invited to take part with Latitude advising that only the more serious cyclists opt for the route from London. The route will be sign posted, with bicycle mechanics, cycle guides, emergency response, and free food every step of the way. Cyclists’ baggage will be transported separately and cyclists will have their bikes securely stored at the festival on arrival. For the return trip Latitude will provide Tour de Latitude cyclists that do not want to cycle home with a bus ticket to get home complete with bike transfer to origin for a well deserved recovery after the best weekend of the summer.
On the ride, there will be a rest stop every 20 miles for participants to have a break with full facilities, and food and refreshments courtesy of Marks & Spencer will be provided. The rest stops will also have free wifi for smart phone users to check in and update their supporters on their progress. Upon arrival at the festival, cyclists will be greeted by their welcome team and treated to a free massage and optional ice bath. Hot showers, food and drinks will also be provided to ensure participants are fully refreshed for the festival weekend.
In order to take part, each participant will need to raise £350 which covers the cost of registration, support, logistics, a weekend festival ticket, a £60 donation to Kenyan Orphan Project and a £20 donation to Julie’s Bicycle. The organisers of Latitude, Festival Republic, will donate an additional £75 for every participant who starts at Hackney, £35 per participant starting from Sudbury and £25 per participant starting from Ipswich. This donation will be split 75% to KOP and 25% to Julie’s Bicycle, providing participants reach their fundraising target and complete the challenge. If cyclists raise in excess of the target fund then any extra monies raised will also be split 75% to KOP and 25% to Julie’s Bicycle. In the lead up to the bike ride, there will be online support with advice on training and fund raising. Participants will also be able to meet and greet fellow cyclists in advance, with dedicated social networking facilities available for all.
Tour de Latitude is an initiative set up by Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn who in 2010 helped raise funds for Kenyan Orphan Project by cycling 435 kilometres with eight other members of the Festival Republic Team. Melvin said: “We had an amazing five days cycling and two days of project visiting and the pain of the ride soon disappeared when we saw the reward it would bring to such vulnerable children.”
Steve Sharp, Executive Director of Marketing at M&S, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Latitude this summer to encourage festival goers to get on a bike and support this great cause. It’s a fun and easy way of making your journey down to the sights and sounds of Latitude – and I’m delighted to be doing my part by biking the Sudbury leg of the trip.”
Published on 23 May 2012 by Ben Robinson
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