Pennine Events Receive Glowing Feedback From The Mending Broken Hearts Night Ride

As night fell on Saturday 29th September, 1,000 cyclists started The British Heart Foundation’s Mending Broken Hearts ride from the Trafford Centre in Manchester and pedaled 52 miles through the darkness to the finish line on Blackpool’s promenade.

 

Donning hi-vis, blinking lights and a couple of extra layers, the glowing procession of participants wound their way through Wigan, Bolton, Chorley and Preston before arriving at Blackpool’s famous seafront.

 

In charge of proceedings for the evening was Pennine Events, a sporting event management company who have delivered many high-profile events this year including the Ride with Brad Sportive and the award winning freshnlo Pedal for Scotland. The organisation’s 100 years of collective experience really shone through and riders were provided with a great evening in the saddle.

 

 

The event had full support from Pennine Events staff, with extensive mechanical support and feed stations at key points on the route. Mark Sandamas, Director of Pennine Events, said: “The Mending Broken Hearts ride was a great event and logistically quite different to something we’d usually work on, taking place overnight. It was really impressive seeing all of the participants whizzing past in their luminous clothing with lights flickering on and off.”

 

  

Taking part were a mix of friends, families and colleagues, who quickly settled into a steady pace to cover the quiet roads between the two northern cities. The hardy supporters staying up to cheer the riders on would hear the ringing of bike bells in the dark before the discoball-like peleton would round a corner and come streaming past.

 

Amanda Porter took part in the event to raise money for The British Heart Foundation but also to set herself a unique challenge: “My usual rides are under 30 miles around the lanes of the Peak District on a Saturday afternoon so this has been quite a different experience. We’ve all felt very well looked after and I must say that I was incredibly grateful for the snacks and Gatorade at the feed stop we probably spent a little too long at.”

 

This is the second year that the Mending Broken Hearts Ride has been held, with both events being expertly managed by Pennine Events. Although the summer of sport may start to become a fond memory, the turnout at the weekend – which had increased by 400 riders from 2011 – is a sure sign that hopping on a bike remains a popular way to test your limits in the company of friends.

 

2012 has been an extremely successful year for Pennine Events. The fantastic feedback from their events has proved that they are one of the leading mass-participation sporting event management companies in the UK. When asked about 2013, Mark Sandamas added:

 

 “2013 is sure to be an even bigger year for cycling and we can’t wait to be involved. With participant numbers increasing year on year we certainly have our work cut out, but I know that my team are fully capable of delivering an event experience they would want to take part in themselves.”

  

  

For those looking for an illuminating evening off of the bike, Pennine Events still have one event left on the 2012 calendar, The Christie’s Night of Neon, which will take place on Saturday 27th October. This unique ten kilometre walk starts at the Salford Quays where participants will gather in their brightest outfits before heading off in a technicolour march towards Manchester City Centre.