Horncastle to Istanbul cycle DAY 4 - breaking the 200 mile mark

By Rachel Armitage
Published 5th Jun 2024, 17:00 BST
Paul Bargh setting off from Horncastle Squash Club on his charity bike ride to Istanbul. Photo: John Aron PhotographyPaul Bargh setting off from Horncastle Squash Club on his charity bike ride to Istanbul. Photo: John Aron Photography
Paul Bargh setting off from Horncastle Squash Club on his charity bike ride to Istanbul. Photo: John Aron Photography
Now two hundred miles into an epic cycle challenge, a Horncastle cyclist and his brother-in-law are going well so far – despite having an extra 30km to cycle today.

As reported in the Horncastle News last month, Paul Bargh and Neil Steeper are cycling 2,000 miles from Horncastle and Scunthorpe respectively to Istanbul for charity, and they set off on Sunday (June 2).

Paul set off from Horncastle Squash Club at 8am, with fellow members giving him a royal send-off as the squash club is one of the duo’s four chosen good causes – the other three being are Cancer Research UK and both of Paul’s former primary schools, Frithville Primary School and New York Primary School.

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After meeting at Hull to get the ferry across to Rotterdam to begin their epic challenge on Sunday, the route will see the duo average around 50km per day, cycling though Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Stage Four of their challenge will see Paul and Neil cycle through the Netherlands.Stage Four of their challenge will see Paul and Neil cycle through the Netherlands.
Stage Four of their challenge will see Paul and Neil cycle through the Netherlands.

We caught up with Paul and Neil this afternoon (Wednesday) near Arnhem in the Netherlands, although today’s distance has been extended by 90 minutes because the camp site they were planning to stay in tonight has flooded, so they have had to cycle an extra 30km to get to another one.

"It's going ok so far, and we’re still talking to each other!” Paul said this afternoon, “The support we’ve had from friends and family back home has been brilliant and we’ve got lots of people following us on Strava.”

Paul said that so far, their legs (and his two new hips) are holding up well with their averaged 50km daily distance, but that the hardest part is not being able to rest when they get to their destination at the end of each day.

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"We’re having to then pitch our tent, and then cook for ourselves before sleeping on an airbed every night,” Paul said, “And we’re not having anything alcoholic to drink either to avoid dehydration.

"The hardest bit is pitching, cooking, and then in the morning having to unpitch it all again before we set off for the day – but other than that, so far so good.”

If any glamping, camping, hotels, or AirB&B establishments along the route would like to offer Paul and Neil a comfortable bed for the night on their challenge, or offer a home-cooked meal at any restaurants or inns, please contact Paul by emailing [email protected]

You can follow their progress on Strava at https://www.strava.com/athletes/137334952

Related topics:HorncastleScunthorpe

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