This is no ordinary charity bike ride, it is literally a whole lot harder

RS Aero Cycle Challenge: This is no ordinary charity bike ride, it’s literally a whole lot harder

by RS Sailing 15 August 12:22 UTC
11-13 September 2024

Four members of the RS team are taking on a crazy challenge in memory of our beloved friend and colleague Maciej Nowaczyk, who unfortunately lost his battle with cancer earlier this year.

From September 11-13, the four-strong team will cycle from Coningsby, Lincolnshire, to the Southampton International Boat Show in Hampshire. The fact that they’re both towing an RS Aero makes the 200-mile distance in three days even more challenging.

Maciej has been a dedicated and integral part of the RS team since 2014, helping to ship and deliver thousands of boats worldwide. His favourite part of the job was delivering new boats to enthusiastic customers in the UK, visiting new places and mingling with the sailing community, so the RS team decided to sail the 200 miles in his honour to make his final delivery a memorable one.

The RS Aero Cycle Challenge raises funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Macmillan gives everything they have to cancer patients. When you receive the diagnosis, your worries are Macmillan’s worries too. Macmillan does whatever it takes and this is the mantra the team carries with them in the challenge.

Richard Frost, Production Manager at RS Marine Group and the initiator of this challenge, commented: “Maciej was the type of man who would come into the office at 4am just to help you reverse the display vehicles after a 24-hour journey back from the continent. He cared about business and he cared about people. He put in hours to make other people’s lives easier. Riding 200 miles on his bike while pulling an RS in his honour is the least we can do.”

320 kilometers and 1,500 meters of elevation is a daunting distance even for the most experienced cyclists, but the team wanted to push themselves to the limit to honor the determination and courage that Maciej Nowaczyk showed in his work and fight against cancer.

The RS Aero is 4m long and 1.5m wide – it’s revolutionary on the water. The super light and aerodynamic nature of the RS Aero’s hull definitely makes it one of the better inflatables to tow behind a road bike. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the team will be towing a boat and trailer behind a road bike. In total, the RS Aero will weigh over 60kg and the width will limit the team’s ability to use bike lanes, adding another dynamic to this already colossal challenge.

The RS team are determined to raise tens of thousands of pounds for Macmillan and are therefore asking for your support. Whether it is a personal donation of £1 or your company wants to become a platinum sponsor, they hope their challenge inspires you to support Macmillan, who are always there for people during the most difficult times of their lives.