Farmer leaves County Show for 1000-mile trip
A FARMER is set to kick off a 1,000-mile cycling challenge at the Northumberland County Show.
Nick Bragg will cycle from Northumberland to Cornwall over eleven days accompanied by a forager which is similar to a combine harvester, but for grass - in an attempt to raise money for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI).
To officially launch the challenge, the forager will lead the procession of ‘Tractors through the Ages’ display at the County Show’s main arena on May 25.
The 11-day route has been carefully planned to accommodate both cyclists and Mr Bragg’s 3.2m-wide Krone BiG X Forager, neither of which are allowed on the motorway.
The route also takes in the Suffolk Show before finishing at the Royal Cornwall Show on June 5 and has a total elevation of over 5,000 feet.
Nick, who lives at Frogmary Green Farm in Somerset, said that the journey has been planned to be “extremely tough but inspiring”. He said: “In 2019 I cycled 3,000 miles across Canada for the charity, so I was ready for the next challenge.
“Lots of people have cycled from John O’Groats to Lands End, so I wanted to go one step further by using the forager to symbolise the agricultural community’s strength and resilience.
He will be accompanied by three of his farming friends on sections of the route, while a wide range of drivers will take the wheel of the Forager.
He said: “I’m clocking up around 20 hours of fitness training a week to prepare myself for the challenge. I just really hope it’s not still raining by then!”
The overall aim is to raise £10,000 for RABI, which provides mental health and wellbeing support to people in farming, as well as financial, emotional and practical help.
Zoe Gascoyne, RABI regional manager, said: “The challenge is an enormous undertaking in aid of the farming community across the UK and RABI is gratified to be the recipient of the funds raised.”
To find out more about Nick’s challenge, visit his JustGiving page.