Extreme challenge

(Date of issue: Wednesday, 12 August 2009)

Carlisle City Council Deputy Chief Executive, Jason Gooding, winner of Carlisle City Council’s June Commuter Challenge, is taking the challenge one step further! He has entered this year’s Cumberland Challenge alongside hundreds of other entrants and several other colleagues, who are pitting themselves against the Cumbrian countryside to find out who will win.

Jason is taking on this challenging course in a bid to see who will win the landscape or him. The course takes in Hartside, a major five mile climb to nearly 2000 feet, onto the very backbone of the Pennines, before plummeting down to Alston, a short loop round Garrigill, then back to Brampton for the first feed, after some 55 miles.

He won’t stop too long, though; there will still be over 50 miles to ride, with plenty of stiff climbs to test those tiring legs. Finally, after 105 miles and over 2,500m of ascent the route will bring the field you back into Brampton and the welcome sight of the finish line.

Cycling is one of the fastest growing leisure activities in the UK and more and more people are having a go. Jason said:

‘’ it’s a lot further than the Civic Centre from Rosehill – so the Commuter Challenge is no indication of form. I’ve done the Cumberland Challenge twice before – it’s a fantastic event and my aim, as always, is to get round, have a great day out and beat my mate Dave up Hartside!’’

If, like, Jason and his colleagues you fancy a crack at the Cumberland Challenge and a chance to take in some of our breathtaking local countryside. Why not give it a go? There is still time to register; the cut off date is Friday 21 August, all you have to do is log onto: http://www.thecumberlandchallenge.co.uk