Ride 5000miles members get inspired to go the distance
Members reveal how MCN campaign has changed their lives
Seven thousand MCN readers have now signed up to MCN’s 5000-mile challenge and they have revealed how our campaign has inspired them to enjoy their best biking summer yet.
At the heart of the R5K campaign is a very active Facebook group where members share routes, tips, experiences and arrange meet-ups. It’s been a boon for members like James Jones, who wanted to improve his riding. “I think that #ride5000miles has pushed me to ride my bike further than ever,” he said. “I lack confidence so joined up and the members are friendly and always up for a ride. They took me on my biggest ride to date from Wrexham to the Triumph experience in Hinckley. I was so proud of myself. I now head out on my bike a lot more.” The average annual mileage for a UK biker is 3000 miles, but we think that by clocking up more than 5000 in a year you’ll enjoy riding your bike more and get more skilled too. “I thought 5000 miles in a year would be hard,” Jones added. “But once I joined the group and saw people’s routes, it turned out to be fairly easy to rack up 200 miles a week; even in winter.”
And if you find the thought of doing 5000 miles daunting now the peak of summer is past, fear not: the latest predictions are for the heatwave to continue until October. And almost any bike can tackle decent mileage with the right mindset.
“We bought our (Honda) NC750S for commuting but it’s turned out to be a brilliant tourer that has inspired us to go miles further than ever,” Bill Davidson said. “It proves you don’t need a massive tourer. We did it two-up with Givi 35-litre side boxes, an Oxford tank bag and the on-board storage for two weeks.”
R5K is great if you need the inspiration to broaden your horizons, too, as Alan John Walker (pictured above) adds: “The R5K initiative has provided great inspiration and we’ve ridden more miles than ever on our Indian Roadmaster. This year we rode the North Coast 500 which we wouldn’t have thought about without this Facebook group.” The final word goes to Sally Weighill, perhaps #ride5000miles most prolific contributor: “R5K is the best. It’s friendly, inspiring and is great for ideas of where to go. I’ve made some great friends, been to some fabulous places and love reading what others have done, too. I’d recommend any other biker to join as it’s a friendly, useful and passionate of motorcyclists.”
‘It’s the best. I’d recommend any biker to join’
R5K MEMBER SALLY WEIGHILL