Olympics inspire boy's 2,012km ride

Wednesday 6th June 2012

A 12-year-old boy will cycle 2,012 kilometres to reach all the 2012 Olympic venues in celebration of the games.

Jake Phipps, from Evesham, in Worcestershire, hopes his efforts will also raise £20,012 for two charities which support vulnerable children, Action For Children and Access Sport.

He will start his journey on June 9 at Hampden Park, in Glasgow and hopes to complete the venue-to-venue route in five weeks.

From Hampden Park, he will cycle to Olympic venues in Newcastle, Manchester, Coventry, Cardiff, Weymouth, Windsor, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and London.

Jake, who was inspired to take up cycling after the Beijing Olympics, said: "I am quite nervous about some of the big hills on the ride, but I really want to raise lots of money for Action For Children and Access Sport because they do great things for children who have difficult lives."

Jake will be joined on the route by family friend Philip Woods and his mum Nic Phipps.

Nic said: "Jake has got a lot more confident after getting involved with cycling and joining a club. He is now involved in lots of other sports and it gives him a real sense of purpose."

Jake will also visit schools to talk to pupils and teachers about his challenge and the work of his chosen charities.

Elaine Robinson, Action For Children fundraiser, said: "Jake is a fantastic lad and we are so grateful that he has chosen to support us. Everyone at Action For Children is so excited about this unique challenge and we wish Jake, Nic and Philip the very best of luck."

David Boorman, fundraising director at Access Sport, said: "Jake is an inspiration to everyone for taking on such an epic challenge. The 2,012 km he will cycle this summer shows just what the spirit of this year's games is all about, and Access Sport are extremely proud and grateful that he has chosen to raise money for us."

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