* Action 100 Bike Ride Aiming To Top Last Year’s Success
* Charity Challenge: Time to Get Fit for the August  Bank Holiday
Leading charity Action Medical Research is appealing for riders to take part in its 23rd annual bike ride from Bath and Bristol to London on Sunday 29 August, 2004. The charity aims to top last year’s numbers: 323 cyclists raised over £40,000. 
The Action 100 bike ride challenges ordinary cyclists who are prepared to cycle 100 miles for Action Medical Research.   From the Bath start point, the route follows the A4 to the rugby club at Chobham, passing through some wonderful countryside en route.

Cyclists have all day to complete the ride on which they are fully supported with plenty of refreshment stops, a pub lunch at Theale, and hot showers and beer available at the finish in Chobham.  St John Ambulance and Avon Valley Cyclery (for bike repairs) patrol the route to support riders. Return transport to Bristol and Bath is provided for both cyclists and their bikes.
 “It’s a very personal event, held on the road, and attracts people wanting a personal challenge – perhaps meeting their own best time, or simply challenging themselves to see if they can do it.  Because it’s friendly and split into stages, there’s a real sense of motivation and achievement,” said Richard Westropp, Chairman of the volunteer organising group for Action Medical Research.  
The ride was originally designed to persuade 100 riders to raise £100 each for the charity, which uniquely funds medical research projects at the point of breakthrough. The ride has since developed into a major annual event in the South, attracting more than three times as many riders, and the average funds raised per rider is steadily increasing too.
Anyone wishing to take part in the Action 100 Bike ride on Sunday August 29 should contact Roy Clarke on 0117 970 6348 or visit www.action100ride.org.uk.
/ENDS