'Another awesome day': More than 12,000 cyclists take on the Tour de Manc challenge

The Tour de Manc made its triumphant return to the city-region today with more than 1,200 riders taking part in a variety of cycling routes stemming across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.

Setting off from Bowlee Community Park in Middleton this morning, riders had a choice of four different routes: the 200-km ‘Mad Manc’, the 100-mile ‘Full Manc’, the 100-Kilometer ‘Half Manc’ and the 50km ‘Mini Manc’.

Since launching in 2005, the Tour de Manc has successfully raised more than £68,000 for charity to date. Rider sponsor activity over the years has added a further £200,000 for charities.

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Charities benefitting this year are the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, the Seashell Trust and the Haematology & Transplant Support Charity (HaTS) at The Christie. Founded by Danny Franks, the idea of a charitable “tough” sportive through all 10 Greater Manchester council areas came with assistance from co-organiser Tony Rubins.

“The Tour de Manc is about raising money for Manchester charities using the inclusive power of cycling,” Danny said. “It is not a race. Our original idea was to run epic cycling events which could raise significant funds for registered charities.

“We’re delighted that the event is growing and is ‘Using Cycling as a Force for Good in Greater Madchester’. Cycling has recently had a big boost in popularity as people of all ages seek to keep fit and healthy, and we welcome all new riders who want to take on the Tour de Manc challenge.”

Those opting for the 200-km ‘Mad Manc’ route went through all ten Greater Manchester boroughs with 10,000ft of climbing, including some closed road sections. The route through