Royal Wootton Bassett locals, Dave Knight from One Planet Ltd. and Hywel Thomas, Mobile Bicycle Technician are supporting and participating in a cycling Guinness World Record attempt to raise awareness of modern day slavery.
They will join Gordon Miller of Barnet, Herts, who is embarking on an approximately 1,000-mile bike ride around England this September to set the record for “the largest GPS drawing by bicycle (individual)”. The route he will cycle will spell “end modern slavery”.
Miller says: “I’m free to cycle but millions of people aren’t. They’re trapped in modern day slavery. It’s an under-reported crime that affects many thousands in the UK and millions worldwide that needs a light shining on it.”
#RideForFreedom2020 will begin on Wednesday 16 September in Manchester. On 29th September, Knight, Thomas, Miller and others will cycle the letter ‘a’ taking a 100km route around Swindon, starting and leaving from Royal Wootton Bassett. The record-breaking attempt will end in central London on 2 October.
The ride will criss-cross England on pre-planned GPS routes. The word ‘end’ spans Manchester, Sheffield and Rotherham. ‘Modern’ takes him from Ludlow to Peterborough via Birmingham. ‘Slavery’ starts in Bristol and ends in London via Swindon and the breadth of Wiltshire.
“The idea both to spell and cycle the words “end modern slavery” came to me on one of my many training bike rides,” says Miller. “That was the easy part! Actually mapping them took quite a few hours.”
The routes have been approved by the Guinness World Records verification team. During the ride Miller will have to GPS track and submit the daily routes, take photos as evidence, and complete a log book.
On completion of his record-breaking ride, there will be a two-week period for everything to be verified. Then, Miller will be officially recognised as a Guinness World Records record for “the largest GPS drawing by bicycle (individual)”.
Miller estimates he will have cycled more than 6,000 kilometres this year during training in the lead up to the Guinness World Record attempt. In preparation, over the last three months, he’s increased his training to approximately 1,000 kilometres each month.
He has been supported by bike manufacturer Orbea and kit supplier KitBrix, for both of whom he is a Brand Ambassador, and sponsored by companies including Ardea International, Fresca Group, Libryo, Lowery, Marshalls Plc, Smarter Technologies, SOAS and Sustain Worldwide.
“I’m delighted to be associated with these purpose-driven companies,” says Miller. “Their support has enabled the ride to go ahead by underwriting the administrative, logistical and marketing costs to raise awareness to end modern slavery.”
The 1,000-mile will be a challenge but Miller is confident he will achieve the Guinness World Record. Last October, he cycled almost 600 miles in 10 days to raise funds for two charities, Hope for Justice and Unseen, who support survivors of modern slavery.
“There’s no doubt last year’s ride has given me the belief I can go further this time,” he says. “The bottom line is if by setting a Guinness World Record I can raise awareness of modern slavery that will be something of which I will be very proud.”
For further information about RideForFreedom2020, visit https://bit.ly/2SKIlPZ.
Gordon Miller can be contacted via [email protected]