After a successful first year, Julian House’s epic cycling Sportive returned on Sunday 7th July with 78 brave participants taking on the Bath Beast. All proceeds from the event go towards supporting homeless, vulnerable and at-risk people across the South West.
With far better weather than its debut year, there was a renewed energy about the riders this time around. Cyclists chose from three incredible routes; the 100-mile (160km) and 70-mile (112km) distances were designed to challenge the most dedicated of riders and the 25-mile (40km) route provided a fantastic opportunity for cyclists keen to discover the undulating hills around Bath.
Wayne Charles from Frome completed the 25mile circuit in 2hr 6mins – quite the feat considering it was his first ever cycling event – saying “I loved it and can’t wait to try a bigger challenge again next year.”
For 2024, Bath Beast had a new home at the University of Bath. Team Bath offered Julian House the new venue and it was great for cyclists to see the world-class facilities on offer at the Sports Village, where participants made use of overnight accommodation the night before, soaking up the atmosphere of Team GB’s home.
This year, Julian House was thrilled to once again be partnered with Pulse Events and HIGH5, who made this challenging route enjoyable and safe for all those who took part in the epic event.
Rachel Avent, event fundraiser for Julian House, was delighted with the feedback from everyone who took part:
“We have wanted a Bike Event in our fundraising calendar for a while and with the launch of the Bath Beast in 2023 and rave reviews from the cyclists, we feel it’s just the start of something special. It’s called the Beast for a reason; those Bath hills can be challenging even for seasoned cyclists, even with the stunning views. Thank you to everyone who took on the challenge and helped save lives”
Julian House have long recognised the importance of helping individuals and communities through the power of cycling, making the Bath Beast an ideal fundraising event for the charity.
Their Bike Workshop on Corn Street in Bath provides customers with a wide range of excellent value bicycles and maintenance. As well as sales, the Build-A-Bike programme creates opportunities for vulnerable people to train, gain confidence, get a qualification and a positive lift back into independence and employment.
