Rix Petroleum Staff counting down the days until the Tour De Rix for charity

A team of intrepid cyclists is peddling from Alnwick to Spalding to raise thousands of pounds for charity, in an event organised by Rix Petroleum.

The team, which consist of directors from Hull Heating Oil & Commercial fuel company Rix Petroleum and volunteers from companies that have sponsored the event, are raising the money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The ride, dubbed the 'Tour de Rix', will see the cyclists complete a 262 mile ride between Rix Petroleum’s depots in Alnwick, Northumberland and Spalding, Lincolnshire on Wednesday, June 18^th.

They will stop off in Hartlepool, Scarborough, Hull and Immingham on the route, over five days between June 14^th and June 18^th.

A further 20 cyclists will join the group on the 22-mile leg from Hull to Immingham which takes place on Tuesday, June 17^th.

Rory Clarke, managing director of Rix Petroleum and one of those taking part in the event, said it had been inspired by the Tour de France which starts from Yorkshire on July 5^th.

He added that they also wanted to do something that would generate a significant amount of money for Macmillan Cancer Support as staff at Rix Petroleum had recently elected the organisation as its charity of the year.

Mr Clarke said: “We have adopted Macmillan Cancer Support as our charity of the year because they carry out such worthy work. With forecasts suggesting one in three of us will suffer from cancer at some point during our lives, their work is becoming ever more important.

“So when we appointed them as our national charity of the year we wanted to do something that would raise a significant amount of money and with the Tour de France kicking off in Rix’s home county soon, it all seemed to fit together well.”

Mr Clarke said he was looking forward to the event but there would be some aching legs by the time they reached Spalding.

“It is going to be tough because many of us taking part are not regular cyclists,” he said.

“But we are all in training and I think with luck and a decent tail wind, we should all make it fine.”

The team will all be sporting branded tee-shirts on the ride with details of how people can get involved and support their efforts with a donation.

As well as Rix Petroleum the team will also include riders from a number of corporate sponsors that have already made significant contributions to the charity effort.

Crystal Ness, fundraising manager for Macmillan Cancer Support, described the Tour de Rix as a great way to raise money.

She said: “We are really pleased to have been adopted as Rix Petroleum’s charity of the year and the Tour de Rix is a fantastic idea.

“It’s because of people like Rory and the team that we are able to help so many people affected by cancer. With their continued support we will get even closer to making sure no one faces cancer alone.”