THE PINK PANTER
Dad pedals 200 miles from Glasgow to Manchester on his daughters’ tiny bicycle
TICKLED PINK
The tiny bike Wesley used
SADDLE SAD sore Wesley Hamnett Ham is ready for a knees-up knee – after pedalling 200 miles on his daughters’ daug tiny pink bicycle. b
Th e 37-yeard-old pedalled for six days from Glasgow to Manchester on the kids’ bike, which has 12in wheels.
He said: “I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it.
“I wasn’t sure if the bike was going to make it all the way.
“But I was going to find out one way or another, even if it was absolutely mental.
“I barely made it. I felt like I was in Formula 1, I had to change my tyres eight times.
“I felt like I was going to die during certain stretches but it was all worth it. We’ve got so much incredible support on this journey and none of it would have been possible without the bike.
“It’s the most value for money I’ve ever got, the best £100 I’ll spend in my life.”
Wesley, from Wy t h e n s h awe, near Manchester, is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support, Christie Charitable Fund, British Heart Foundation and Wythenshawe Hospital, and has so far raised just over £4000.
He said: “My grandad died of cancer last year after he got it for the second time.
“It’s something that really affected me and I knew I wanted to do something as a tribute.
“I wanted to raise funds for all the charities that have done incredible work and helped my family and friends throughout the years.”
We s l ey ar r i ved in Glasgow by train and set off on his pink 2013 Raleigh Molly bicycle.
The hardest part of the trip was pedalling up the 1350ft Shap Summit, close to the M6 in Cumbria, which he says the bike “wasn’t built for”.
He said: “I kept pushing because any time there’s an uphill climb, there must be a downhill climb.
“I felt like a little kid going down. I couldn’t stop if I tried.”
The cargo handler was met at home on Monday by his two daughters Evie Hamnett, 10, and Tehya Baron, eight.
He added: “The bike had a special significance to me as it’s the one my two daughters learned how to cycle on.
“It’s something you never forget, as I still remember my first bike – it was red with white tyres.
“The bike was significant to me, to my children, and hopefully it will be to anyone who has joined us on this journey.
You can donate to Wesley’s fundraising appeal at: https:// www.gofundme.com/f/4-permile