Members came from far and wide for #ride5000miles meet

Even the threat of drizzle in the Oxfordshire air couldn’t keep scores of #ride5000miles members from attending last the Saturday Social at the H Café in Wallingford on Saturday, September 8. Bikes of all shapes and sizes packed the car park as members drank tea, ate sausage sandwiches and talked bikes.

MCN MODEL GUIDES

• Triumph Bonneville: a brief model history
• Our ultimate introduction to the BMW GS
• MCN’s guide to Triumph Scramblers
• Exploring the history of the Ducati Monster
• The lifespan of the Ducati Scrambler range

And MCN was on hand to ensure that no one left empty-handed. With members arriving from all over the UK as well as mainland Europe, MCN distributed stickers, free copies of the paper and even a selection of top prizes for the lucky few. Chris Bradbury, Tony Glenister, Clive Sanders, Kevin Newbery and Shaun Doody all won pairs of tickets to the Assen Round of the British Superbike Championship.

With Assen less than 500-miles from the H Café, this is just a short hop for a dedicated #ride5000miles member! “That’s the perfect excuse for a weekend away,” said a delighted Chris Bradbury.

Bill Traynor won a T-Shirt donated by the H Café while Simon Dickens got a mug from them. But the biggest cheer of the day went to John Jess – who rode all the way from Barcelona on a Honda CBR500R to attend the Saturday Social!

“I left at 4:30pm last night and rode here non-stop,” he said. “The rain, hail and thunder kept me awake through the Pyrenees and I’m certainly ready for a beer now before I set off for home tomorrow!” And if his achievement wasn’t impressive enough, his friend Brian Connelly rode the 400 miles from Glasgow to the H Café to meet him on his Honda CBR600F!

Unsurprisingly, John won the award for longest distance travelled with his 1962-mile round trip and a set of Metzeler tyres are on the way. The final award of the day went to Alan Walker who, having covered over 9500-miles this year on his Honda Deauville and Indian Roadmaster, has recorded the highest mileage of the group – excluding John Jess!

“#ride5000miles encouraged me to get out and I’m going to become a Blood Biker, all because of the group,” he said. Alan won a tank bag for his effort, not that his Roadmaster is exactly lacking luggage capacity.

And for some R5K riders the H Café event was just the start, Mark Bayford and Andy Englefield left the café and headed to Cornwall for a weekend’s riding. You just can’t stop #ride5000miles members from racking up the miles.

What is R5K?

And if you fancy having your own adventure, why not join our #ride5000miles Facebook page. The is aim to encourage riders to cover 5000 miles in a year. See how others are getting on at our #ride5000miles page.

How do I do it?

Make a note of your mileage at the start of your biking year. Take a photo at the start and end of the challenge.

Five reasons to sign up

1. It’ll make you a better rider.

2. You’ll know your bike better than ever, and enjoy it more.

3. It’ll make you ride to places you’ve never been before.

4. Be part of a top biking community.

5. Share tips on where to ride and what kit can go the distance.

#ride5000miles Facebook group · 7,228 members Join Our Facebook Group Here The official group for MCN’s #ride5000miles challenge, and the central social media hub for the campaign. Join to interact with others doing the same…