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Russell Ashford

Manchester to London - 2025

Help me reach my goal of £1,300

My Activity Tracking

3,620
mi

My target 220 mi

Please support my Ambitious Challenge!

This will be the toughest challenge I’ve ever undertaken on a bike.  I will be cycling 220 miles in a single day on Sunday 22 June 2025. Starting in Manchester and finishing in London.  

Seeing first hand the challenges that autistic children face, this is an opportunity for me to support a cause I care deeply about, I’ll be leaving my limits behind to raise vital funds for Ambitious about Autism.

Ambitious about Autism is the national charity standing with autistic children and young people. They champion rights, campaign for change and create opportunities for autistic young people and their families. 

How your support can make a difference

£5 could help parents and carers experiencing challenging situations access vital information and support through the Talk about Autism online platform. 

£10 could buy seeds and gardening equipment for our horticulture programme. Our ‘Seed to Sell’ initiative helps autistic children and young people enjoy time outdoors and develop their entrepreneurial spirit.

£25 could reduce loneliness and isolation through an autistic young person accessing a special interest group through our Ambitious Youth Network.

£50 could support a family in crisis. Our family support team provide telephone advice and guidance on welfare, health, and legal matters.

£100 could provide autistic young people with one-to-one careers information and guidance. With very few autistic people in employment, providing this support is vital to accessing the workplace.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

£1,190 + £182.50 GiftAid

My Goal

£1,300

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All donations in GBP

My Achievements

Shared page

Self-donated

Added a profile pic

Added a blog post

Received 10 donations

25% fundraising target

50% fundraising target

Fundraising target reached

50% distance target reached

Challenge complete!

My Updates

March - Spring is springing

Saturday 29th Mar
I'm pleased to say training is going to plan. I've completed few 100km rides in the past month & have been joined by few mates, two of whom are also training for their own epic ride across Europe later this year. 

I've achieved my first weigh goal to get under 90kg, next one is 85kg & Ideally I would like to be 80-82kg when I take on M2L in June. 

8th March saw the first proper signs of spring, two of us headed out towards Warwick & Stratford Upon Avon for a 100km ride, stopping at the excellent Garden Shed café in Wellesbourne.  And yes there were a couple of new squares along the route.

A week off work allowed for a solid block of training. Getting 275km in and riding with some inspirational people who've all completed some epic challenges, like riding the tour du France a week ahead supporting cure leukaemia. 

A bit of lurgy got the better of me towards the end of March so I've taken it easy over the last week.  I'm back on it now & looking forward to getting a 200km ride in during early April.  

February - More like the plan

Sunday 23rd Feb
The two key elements of the plan are going in the right direction, my weight is down 7kg since Christmas & weekly distance is increasing, ending Feb with a 200km week. 

Tile or square hunting continues to be a motivator for distance, elevation and getting outside at this time of year. Despite the weather, I've managed an outdoor ride every week so far this year, something I'm aiming to keep going all year.  

The first and last weekends of February were both about getting some tiles in more hilly areas of the Midlands & increasing my maximum square.  Starting the month with a 50km figure 8 route around the Wyre Forest with 900m of climbing it was hard work, but this got me to 28x28.   

My plan includes at least one long ride each month, the last weekend of Feb was a 120km loop down to Cotswolds, and yes there were a few more tiles involved.  1200m of climbing and a shredded rear tyre after a puncture meant it wasn't a fast ride, but this was about time in the saddle and endurance riding. Overall, it felt good and I'm starting to feel the benefit of the midweek sessions on Zwift & Rouvy.

Spring is just around the corner & I'm looking forward to the longer days & longer rides as I build up to a single 200km ride in April. 

January - Follow The Process

Thursday 23rd Jan

January is never an easy time to get outside for a long ride, but I have a plan & you’ve got to follow the process. 

I’ve been sticking to the plan & increasing my weekly distance. Doing shorter Vo2 and threshold rides on Zwift or Rouvy whilst also doing 2 or 3 yoga, core or strength sessions each week. 

On the 17th Jan, after a week of freezing but dry weather. There was a small increase in the temperature, reaching a balmy 7°c.  Add to this a well timed day off work meant I could do my planned 100km ride for this month. 

I wanted to ride this distance at a low perceived exertion & without a cafe stop. I planned to eat every 10km & drink every 5km.  There was no target other than the distance.  I wanted to see how long it would take me.   The route was flat & also included a few new tiles for motivation.  I often experience cramp on longer rides, thankfully not on this time, but it’s something I’m very conscious of as the distance increases. 

My ride time was 4:35 mins, with elapsed time of 4:42.  Meaning an average speed of 22km/h.  With improved fitness and lower body weight over the coming months this should increase. 

Tiles are a good motivator

Thursday 23rd Jan

Last ride of 2024

Sunday 5th Jan

Not quite to plan

Sunday 5th Jan

In my last update I talked about using the autumn to drop a few Kg & improve my endurance.  I’d like to say I’ve made some progress, but alas, I can’t.  In fact the weight has gone in the wrong direction (it’s Christmas) & I’ve not ridden as much as I planned, due to work, lurgy and family life.  


Thankfully the Christmas break gave me a little more time.  This allowed me to increase my weekly distance to 140km last week. Riding in the mist & gloom, but motivated by spending time outside with others in my local club V-Sprint. This week I’ve managed 150km, although with the snow & ice about half of this was on the indoor trainer.  


I’ve also put some time into creating a simple training plan.  During Jan the aim is to maintain 150-160km each week, then start increasing weekly mileage by about 10 percent week. I also plan to do one (maybe two) long rides each month, starting with 100km in Jan & increasing by 50km each month.  By mid April I should have at least one 200km ride in the legs, just short of my longest distance ever ridden.  In May & with the benefit of longer days I plan to do a 12-14 hour ride & see what distance I can cover.  


I plan to ride three times a week, with 2 short mid week rides to focus on threshold and improving V02 max.  It’s not all bikes though, to keep some variation I’ve included some yoga, core and weight workouts. 


My next goal for end of Jan, is to maintain 150-160km per week & lose 3-4kg.   If you’ve got this far, thank you for reading & supporting me with this challenge, it’s certainly outside of my comfort zone. 

When to start training?

Sunday 4th Aug
Since I started cycling in 2015, I've only ridden over 200km twice and this was back in 2018 & 19.  Covering 354km feels like a massive and at times unimaginable challenge.  I've said to myself it will be an eating and mental challenge as much as a physical one. 

This weekend I rode 136km, just over 1/3 of the M2L distance.  About half of this was solo as I went on a small quest to capture 5 new tiles (or squadrats) to extend my veloviewer explorer score. I find these a good motivator to ride in new areas.  I used this ride to gauge both my average speed and to see how my legs felt.  The good news is that my average speed was there or thereabouts at 24.6km/h. Close enough to the 25 target that I'd like to achieve over the full distance.   The bad news is my legs were ready to stop, so I certainly have some work to do on the endurance side of things.   

There are currently 325 days remaining until the start of the ride. The question I'm asking myself is, when to start training?   

I currently ride a couple of times each week, so for the next few months I'm going to focus on dropping a few Kg's and using what's left of the summer & autumn to maintain this approach but add some longer rides into the mix to test out what works for me with on bike nutrition.   

Winter will be a mix of outdoor rides and indoor sessions to maintain fitness ready to hit the ground with a good base as spring approaches. I plan to complete a few 250km rides in April & May before the big day.   

Thank you to my Sponsors

£120

J P Alternative Education

Very good cause. Good luck!

£50

Barry White

Very brave of you to do this NAKED….only downside is that everyone will realise why Abi calls you her Favourite Little Man”

£50

Delli And Graham

All the best Russ! Really admire you for doing this. xx

£50

Lis Gardner

Best of luck Russ Lis and Lee xx

£50

Tony Jobson

£50

Loz & Al

Smash it Russ

£50

David And Claire Stokes

Good luck, Russ. Cheering you on for this epic challenge! 💪🏻🚴🏻‍♂️

£50

Lee Gardner

Mike H picked you

£50

Nikki & Ian (v-sprint)

You’ll smash it, great ride, amazing cause XX

£30

Legless Wrexham Fan

£25

Simon

Good luck Russ, that's a big ride for a great cause 💪👏😎🚴🚴

£25

Elaine Hardy

£25

The Wadesmiths

Brilliant cause Russ. Best of luck with the ride.

£25

Kelvin Wilson

Keep positive Russ you can do it

£25

Dawn Pattison (for Gary)

Good luck Russ on your epic challenge

£25

Martin Stanway

Hopefully it's downhill all the way 😂😂

£25

Andrew Davey

Quite a challenge, Russ. You’ll smash it though. Absolutely no doubt.

£25

Michelle Cantle

Good luck Russ!

£20

Jenny & Gareth

Looks like your training is going really well. It's going to be hard, but you're going to do it.

£20

Maria Wigley

Great cause Russell. I hope the ride goes well x

£20

Tim Roberts

Give it the beans!

£20

Chris Woods

Best of luck Russ for a beautiful day for your ride. I’m sure you’ll achieve your goal with you focus and determination starting with the training & preparation. See you on the road

£20

Catherine Fenton

An amazing and tough challenge Russ. Good luck! Cat

£20

John Peace

All the best Russell, donation sent

£20

Lin Ashford

Best of luck Russ on your mamouth ride next year.

£20

Andrew Davey

£20

Russell Ashford

£20

Jamie

Go Russ you amazing piece of athletic meat Love Jamie and family x

£20

Jason Smith

You the man Russell. I’ve no doubts that you will smash this. My confidence is mainly due to Jamie thinking you are athletic meat. Go tiger, grrrr

£20

Heidi

£20

Jade Lewis

You got this Russ :)

£15

Trigger

I want stats for my money 😂

£15

Serina

Pedal hard Russ!

£15

Sadie, W & E

Give us a wave on your way through the Midlands! We’ll be cheering you on all the way!

£10

Emma Morris

Good Luck Russ… no doubt, you’ll smash it!

£10

Anonymous

£10

Andrew Thomas

£10

Matthew Stanway

Good luck Russ 💪🚴🏼

£10

Jayne Mason

Best of luck !!

£10

Anne Boyle

Go Russ!! You will smash it xx

£10

June Whittle

Good luck Russ.

£10

Michelle Fellows

Good luck Russ

£10

Chuck Callahan

Chuck Callahan here—proud American, freedom-loving, God-fearing, flag-waving son of the U.S. of A.! Watching Wrexham Football Club fight tooth and nail to rise up against the odds reminded me of what makes this world great: hard work, determination, and never backing down from a challenge. That’s the American way, and it’s why I’m proud to put my dollars toward a cause that truly matters—helping those with autism get the support they deserve. Here in the greatest country on Earth, we believe in lending a hand to those who need it, standing by our communities, and making sure no one gets left behind. If giving a little can change lives, then by God, I’ll give big. God bless this cause, God bless Wrexham, and most of all—GOD BLESS AMERICA!

£10

Judy Connor

£10

Nicky Smith

Love this Russ! What a brilliant cause, I’m sure you will do amazing. Hope this donation helps!

£10

Charlie

£10

Andy Bates

£5

Rhys Evans