THE toughest of cyclists are being invited to master the moors on Sunday, October 15 for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s annual Tour de Moor challenge.

There will be mud, sweat and plenty of gears in action as mountain bike riders take to the moors to embark on a cycle ride that will encompass challenging off-road moorland trails set amongst the spectacular scenery of Dartmoor.

Riders can choose between the intermediate 23km route or if they are feeling brave enough, they can tackle the hills up to Princetown on the 52km route. For a much more gentle route, featuring a mixture of tarmac paths and off-road trails, there is the family friendly 11km ride along Drake’s Trail, suitable for anyone with a bike.

The Tour de Moor challenge departs from and finishes at Harrowbeer Airfield, near Yelverton at 8.30am. The route will go around the beautiful surroundings of Buckland Abbey, providing some tough terrain as bikers navigate their way through the woods and up some challenging hills.

Not only does the Tour de Moor get the adrenaline pumping, it also makes a real difference to patients of St Luke’s in the last months, weeks and days of life. At home, in hospital or at their specialist unit in Turnchapel, the money raised in sponsorship helps the Plymouth based charity to continue to provide specialist care to patients and give vital support to their families.

Head of fundraising at St Luke’s Penny Hannah said: ‘Our Tour de Moor is set to be a fantastic day for all those keen cyclists out there.

‘We are giving our riders the chance to experience the challenging peaks of Dartmoor and the mud, sweat and gears that go with it and with three routes to choose from, there’s no excuse to not get the whole family involved.

‘It will be tough, but the money you raise will help us to provide vital care and support to people and their families across the local area, making every hill worth that extra effort.’

Sign up for the Tour de Moor 2017 now through the St Luke’s website at www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/tourdemoor or by calling 01752 492626.

See the advert on page 56 for more.