Sustrans man joins the Great Tour

Sustrans Bike It officer for Bournemouth and Poole, Jason Falconer, has won a national competition to join the Great Tour – the endurance cycling challenge that’s currently working its way around the coastline of Britain.

Jason won a competition in Coast Magazine to become one of three people that were chosen to cycle a stage of the ride.

He will begin his 714 km leg of the ride on Saturday (31 July) in Ullapool, Scotland, finishing in Ayr on 6 August. The ride will climb 14, 545 metres in just seven days.

Jason said, “I can’t wait to tell my cycling tales to the children when I get back into school after the holidays. It’s going to be a really tough challenge, but I hope it will encourage the children, and inspire them on to their bikes.”

The Great Tour’s team of core riders are being joined by a wide variety of celebrity athletes, guests and charity riders for their trip around the British coastline.

Jason is no stranger to endurance challenges, starting with a week’s riding through the Israel Negev desert in 1996. Since then he’s completed many orienteering endurance challenges and numerous cycling events, including coming in second place at the southern heat of Rollapaluza 2010 National Series.

For Sustrans, Jason has worked with 2,340 children, organising events, activities and skills sessions to give them encouragement and confidence to get to school under their own steam. Cycling and scootering levels at the schools he works with have doubled since early 2009.

Find out more about The Great Tour here.