Charity cycle to feature Olympic legend

Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy has teamed up with charity Social Bite on a £1 million fundraising campaign aiming to build new villages for homeless people in Glasgow and London.

The record-breaking, six-time Olympic gold medal cyclist will take part in the Break the Cycle 60-mile charity bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Those signing up to ride alongside Sir Chris will be asked to raise £1,000 to enter and will be in with a chance of winning prizes from a medal signed by the Olympian to naming a house at one of the villages.

The Break the Cycle ride takes place on Sunday, September 5, with Sir Chris and the pack setting off from his namesake velodrome in Glasgow to head to the finish line near the flagship Social Bite village in Granton, Edinburgh.

Since launching in May 2018, Social Bite’s Edinburgh Village, run with the Cyrenians, has given accommodation and support to 39 people, 82% of whom either still live there or have moved on to a positive destination.

As well as the event on September 5, people from across the UK are invited to take part in the campaign through their own virtual challenges from March to September.

Sir Chris said: “I know times have been incredibly tough of late but I’d encourage everyone to get involved and help raise the funds needed for this extraordinary project and take on their own challenges over the coming weeks and months.

“I look forward to see those taking part at the starting line,” he added.

The charity said that 10% of campaign funds will go to SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health.