Still time to sign up for popular cycling fundraiser spearheaded by Olympians

The Round the Wrekin Sportive cycle ride is set to take place on Sunday, May 19, starting and finishing at Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club in Wall Heath and taking in three routes through the Shropshire countryside.

The event, which is in its seventh year, will present riders with either the family-friendly "Hugh Porter Challenge", a 21-mile ride through Badger and Beckbury; the "Compton Care Classic", a 60-mile ride with big descents; or the "Epic", a 100-mile trip along the Long Mynd and indeed 'round the Wrekin'.

In 2023, more than 400 people took part, raising more than £32,000 to help fund the charity’s work supporting people with life limiting conditions and their families in the community.

Compton Care patron and former world champion cyclist Hugh Porter MBE has been a keen supporter of the event alongside his wife Anita Lonsbrough MBE, even taking part in the first five events as a cyclist, and spoke about what made the event so important for him.

He said: "The event is a very significant part of the diary for me and my wife as we are former Olympians and patrons of this great organisation, and this event gives us an opportunity as ex-sports people to put something back into raising money via our sporting pedigree for a wonderful and worthy cause.

"The event continues to raise lots of money and it's wonderful to see all the wonderful people who come along to take part and raise money, with many of them bringing photos from previous years to show us, which I've always found very touching.

"What I would say to people who are thinking about it is to go ahead and do it because we've made some changes with the Hugh Porter route, making it more family-friendly and a place that people can bring their families and kids to ride it, plus we could be lucky with the weather like we were last year."

Hugh spoke about the camaraderie on the day and said he looks forward to playing the roles of MC and presenter on the day.

Entries are still open for the event and community and events fundraiser at Compton Care, Cara Bright, said that there was no better time than now to sign up.

She said: “We are really looking forward to the event and with just four weeks to go, now is the time to sign up.

"We are excited about the new routes this year and we have something for everyone, from novices up to experienced cyclists.

“Everyone who takes part will receive their own Compton Care Round the Wrekin 2024 medal and we have lots of new benefits for participants including finish line food and a brand new event supporter, HIGH5, who will be keeping cyclists fuelled with nutritious energy gels.

“One thing we hear time and again is how amazing the atmosphere on the day is. Since the event began, it’s raised £200,000 for our patients and their families, which is just incredible, and we’d like to thank everyone involved from start to finish for their support.”

To find out more and to register, go to comptoncare.org.uk/roundthewrekin.