A TEAM of riders are cycling from Warrington to Newcastle ahead of the Magic Weekend, and are checking in at every Super League club in the UK along the way.

The group of eight cyclists set off from the Halliwell Jones Stadium to St James Park at 6.15am this morning in their mission to raise £2,500 for the Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation.

On Saturday, Warrington Wolves will take on Wigan Warriors during the showpiece event in which all 12 Super League clubs descend on one ground for a full round of fixtures over two days.

Bike rides to the Magic Weekend have become an annual tradition, but this year will see the cyclists take in the 11 UK-based top flight clubs en route to the home ground of Newcastle United.

James Howes, sport and lifestyles manager at the foundation, is one of the riders taking part.

He said: “We’ve done it every year for different causes so it’s a bit of an annual tradition and last year we also cycled from Warrington to Wembley.

“This one’s a little bit different because we’re taking in all the Super League clubs this time.

“The Magic Weekend is a bit of a pilgrimage for rugby league fans so we thought we should visit them all on the way.

“We’ve got guys who have been lifelong fans and people involved in different companies around the town, but the thing that brings us all together is the Warrington Wolves.

“There was a suggestion that we also incorporate Catalan Dragons but we looked at the map and realised that it was a good extra 1,500 miles on top which I don’t really fancy on two wheels.”

The 300-mile cycle will see the team visit Widnes Vikings, St Helens, Wigan Warriors, Leigh Centurions, Salford Red Devils, Huddersfield Giants and Leeds Rhinos today while tomorrow, Thursday, they are expected at Wakefield Trinity, Castleford Tigers and Hull FC.

On Friday they will then cycle up to Newcastle, before a final lap to the stadium ahead of the match on Saturday.

James added: “In the last few weeks all of us have been out on the roads clocking up the miles, but I’m not sure anything can prepare you for 100 miles each day.

“Physically you can get yourself prepared but you don’t know how it’s going to be mentally which will be the real challenge.

“There might be some dark times but we’ll also have some laughs on the way.

“As with all charities, every penny we can raise makes a huge difference.

“Clearly the work that we do is really powerful and engaging – there are some really vulnerable people who need the programmes, projects and initiatives that we’re involved in.

“Every single day, the sport, health and education programmes are changing people’s lives for the better and helping them to lead more positive lifestyles.”

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