Cheeky Lake Loop

Ride a Lap for Mind

On Wednesday 17 June, I’ll be riding continuous laps around Llangors Lake for 24 hours to raise money for Brecon Mind in memory of Gareth Evans — “G” or “Cheeky Ga” to those who knew him.

I’ll start from Llangors Village Hall at 6pm and keep riding until 6pm the next day.

There’s no fixed distance target anymore. The aim is simple: keep the wheels turning for 24 hours and ride as far as I can.

The loop is roughly 10 miles and I’ll pass the village hall every lap, so people can come down, wait at the hall and join in when I come through.

Ride one lap.

Ride a few laps.

Ride half a lap.

Ride through the night if you’re feeling brave.

Or just come down, say hello, bring some snacks and be part of it.

This isn’t a race and it’s not a formal cycling event. It’s just people coming together to do something positive, remember a mate and raise money for a charity doing incredible work in our community.

Come and do a Cheeky Lake Loop.

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When

Wednesday 17 June, 6pm

to

Thursday 18 June, 6pm

Base: Llangors Village Hall

People can join in at any point during the 24 hours. I’ll be riding continuously and stopping as and when I need to.

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The route

The route is laps of Llangors Lake on the road, roughly 10 miles per loop.

We’ll ride anti-clockwise, which keeps things as simple as possible because the route is effectively all left turns. From a safety point of view that means nobody should need to cross the white line to follow the loop.

The roads will be open as normal. Anyone joining must ride safely, wear a helmet, follow the Highway Code and ride within their ability.

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Food and fuel

We’ll have a base set up at Llangors Village Hall with food, drink and support.

Every lap passes the hall, so there’ll always be a chance to stop, refuel, have a chat and head back out again.

If baking cakes, bringing snacks, making food or filling bottles is more your thing than cycling, that contribution is very welcome too.

The whole point is to make it feel like a proper community effort.

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Why we’re raising money

This ride is in memory of Gareth Evans — “G” or “Cheeky Ga” to those who knew him.

After Gareth died, I went through a dark few months. When you’re in that place, it can feel like there’s no way out. You convince yourself you’re the only person who has ever felt that way and that you can’t speak to anyone about it.

There’s often pressure to come across as strong, keep everything together and just carry on.

Recently we had Gethin from Brecon Mind come into work to give a talk about mental health and the pressures men face today. Listening to him genuinely switched something in me because he was describing exactly how I had felt.

What really stuck with me was what happened after the talk. There hadn’t been any audience interaction during the session, but when people left the room there were conversations happening everywhere. Different people were saying that different parts of what he said had really resonated with them.

It made me realise just how many people quietly carry these things and how important organisations like Mind are.

I’m incredibly lucky to have a strong support network around me and to have had access to help and resources when I needed them. I’m also very aware that things could have been very different.

That’s why we’re doing this.

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Why it matters

Life today looks very different to how it did for previous generations.

In many families now, both parents work, both parents are involved in raising children and both are trying to keep the house, family, money, work and everything else moving at the same time.

That’s not a complaint. It’s just the reality of modern life.

But it does mean a lot of people are carrying a lot, often quietly.

At the same time, there can still be that expectation that men should stay strong, not make a fuss and not show when they’re struggling.

When pressure builds up and people feel like they can’t talk about it, that’s when things can start to go wrong.

Mental health support matters. Having somewhere to turn matters. Having people who understand matters.

That is why Brecon Mind is so important.

They provide support, advice and a place for people to turn when things feel overwhelming.

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Get involved

You’re welcome to come along for your own reasons.

Maybe Mind is a charity close to your heart.

Maybe you’ve had your own struggles.

Maybe you’ve supported someone through theirs.

Maybe you knew Gareth.

Maybe you just fancy coming down and doing something a bit different.

Ride a lap.

Ride a few.

Ride through the night.

Bring snacks.

Come to the hall.

Donate.

Share the page.

Be part of it.

Every lap helps.

Every donation helps.

Every conversation helps.

Cheeky Lake Loop.

24 hours around the lake.

As far as possible.

For Cheeky.

For Mind.