Ride to the Somme is a 3 day cycle challenge commemorating the cyclists of 100 years ago that volunteered for the Army Cyclist Corps during The Great War.

In 2016 Ride to the Somme formed the central theme for the BBC Countryfile Remembrance Day Special and was seen by over 8 million people. Riders landed in Le Havre and the event culminated at The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval which lists the 72,195 missing British and African soldiers that have no known grave. 

Ride to the Somme returns this year and we have entered a team of four riders from Renault Trucks. The team consists of Wencke Roovers and Alex Williams from Marketing, Sonica Dahri from the Legal Department and Ian Wrench from Retail Development.

As novice riders, this will be a complete challenge for us all as we tackle the daily routes offered of between 50 and 80 miles a day totalling between 165 – 225 miles over a three day period.  The routes will focus on important historical landmarks on both The Somme and into Flanders with our final destination being the largest of all the Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries - Tyne Cot, where over 55,000 soldiers are remembered. We end the day by attending the daily Last Post Ceremony at The Menin Gate in Ypres.

We are hoping that the charity ride will gain the same media coverage as previous years to give exposure to all those who support the cause. In addition to this Renault Trucks UK are also supporting the whole event assisting with logistics and equipment to and from the event.

 The government called on SSAFA to support servicemen and their families as they returned home from the front. 100 years on SSAFA are still continuing this work supporting personnel from all the services and their families in need following modern conflicts which is why we have accepted this challenge. 

Thank you for your on-going support.