Monday 15 September 2014 22:09, UK
Four West Yorkshire golfers have set off on a charity bike ride to visit every GB & Irish venue to have hosted a Ryder Cup.
You can follow their journey here, starting with Monday's 'Grand Depart' which saw them set out from their Bradford base.
Route: Bradford - Royal Lytham – Royal Birkdale - Southport & Ainsdale
After months of planning and hundreds of hours in training, the day of our “Grand Depart” has arrived and we’re about to hit the saddle for a bottom-clenching 1150 miles.
Over the next nine days, we’re ditching our golf clubs and cycling from our homes in West Yorkshire to every golf club in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland to have hosted the Ryder Cup.
Cycling in Ryder Cup format, we set off this morning from our home turf at Northcliffe Golf Club near Bradford and head over to Royal Lytham, Birkdale and Southport & Ainsdale, before riding to Liverpool docks for the ferry to Ireland.
Our route then takes us to the K Club in County Kildare, Celtic Manor in Newport, Walton Heath and Wentworth in Surrey, before heading north to The Belfry, Lindrick and Moortown near Leeds.
On 21st September we’re due to arrive at Ganton near the North Yorkshire Coast before tackling the 220 mile stage to Scotland, taking in Muirfield on the 22nd and arriving at Gleneagles for the start of this year’s Ryder Cup tournament on 23rd September.
On route we’re collecting pin flags from each of the courses, which we hope to present to the Ryder Cup teams when we reach Gleneagles.
Raise awareness
The idea for a cycling challenge was first bandied about over a couple of beers in the summer of 2013. Eight months earlier we’d lost a good friend and fellow golfer to skin cancer and wanted a way to raise awareness of melanoma amongst two vulnerable groups – golfers and cyclists.
Several beers and four lamb bhunas later, the Tour de Ryder Cup was spawned with the aim of raising cash for both Melanoma UK and Prostate Cancer UK – two causes we felt were especially relevant to golfers, cyclists and blokes in general.
Throughout the ride we’re being supported by our friend and fellow golfer Mark Heptonstall. For reasons which have yet to be fully understood, Mark agreed to act as our head of logistics, roadie and tea boy, despite having to spend nine days cooped up in a six berth motorhome with four middle-aged, lycra-clad golfers.
Reflections on Day 1
Day One has been a steady, flat ride punctuated by incredible hospitality at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Birkdale and Southport and Ainsdale.
Covering a total of 115 miles (125 if you include a minor unforeseen detour), we’ve ridden well and have enjoyed red carpet treatment courtesy of the three former Ryder Cup host courses on today’s route.
Of particular note was the homemade soup at Royal Lytham which, for the record, should be on every golfer’s list of “things to do before you die”.
Thanks to the generosity of a small group of gents who had gathered for a memorial lunch, we left Southport & Ainsdale with several hundred pounds more in the Tour de Ryder Cup coffers then when we arrived.
Aside from an inadvertent 10 mile detour on route to Liverpool Docks and the accidental decanting of the entire 100 litre contents of our motorhome’s fresh water tank, today day has gone without a hitch.
We boarded the ferry for Dublin at 9pm and the only thing now standing between us and a great night’s kip is Guinness.
Night all.
We’ll be bringing you up to speed every day here on our Sky Sports blog and you can watch the drama unfold in the meantime on Twitter or Facebook.
Donations in support of our efforts can be made at www.justgiving.com/teams/TDRC
Andy Crowther, Darren Tordoff, Andrew Walker and Rick Gillgrass
Tomorrow: Stage 2 – Dublin – The K Club - Rosslare
