Chase The Sun 2026 Sheppey start
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
More than 1,200 cyclists gathered at The Leas at Minster on the Isle of Sheppey on Saturday morning (June 20) for the start of the Chase The Sun endurance bike ride.
They left at dawn on the longest day of the year and planned to arrive at the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare, 200 miles to the west, as the sun set at around 9.30pm.
For an hour or so, Sheppey was flooded with bikes as the cyclists converged on the seafront, many accompanied by support vehicles but some cycling on their own.
Then, as the sun appeared over the sea, they set off on their epic coast to coast journey which took them through Rochester, south London, Chertsey, Devizes and the Cheddar Gorge.
Each had paid at least £79 to take part in the challenge.
It was the brainchild of Olly Moore who set out with two friends to see how far they could cycle back in 2008. It has since grown into a massive event with courses in the north of England, Ireland and Italy.
Olly, married with a young family, was on hand to wave off the cyclists.
He said: "This is our biggest year yet. We had around 1,100 last year and we have more than 1,200 this year."
But he added: "We had to cap the numbers to allow them to all get off safely. In fact, we let some riders go just before dawn for that very reason. Everyone was very keen and a little nervous, so we started the riders early.”
Asked why the ride, which is non-competitive, starts on Sheppey, he replied: “In 2008 I set off on my bike to find out how far I could ride in a single day – and for that I chose the longest day of the year.
“It meant picking this spot where you can see the sun rising over the sea and then moving across the country to where the sun will set. So, ocean to ocean, sunrise to sunset, east to west - that’s why we picked Minster-on-Sea.”
He added: “It was an absolutely beautiful sunrise."
Olly’s first attempt could have put him off permanently.
He finished in the dark, three hours after sunset. He admitted: “It felt a very bad idea at the time. The most common thing participants say, even now, when they cross the finish line is ‘never again!’.
"But then they reconsider and many come back. And that was exactly what I did after that firThe second year he missed his self-imposed deadline by just five minutes. At his third attempt he was in Weston-super-Mare an hour before sunset.
He previously said: “You have to remember that this is a ride, not a race. It is about enjoying the riding and taking in the countryside. It is a unique experience. And the riders aren’t doing it alone. It’s a collective, who come together with a shared goal.”
Many of the cyclists were riding to raise money for charity, especially Macmillan Cancer Care.
Within an hour of the start, organisers had removed the plethora of flags and banners from the promenade and had taken them in a fleet of vans to the next section.
By 6.30am there was little left to show that a fleet of cyclists with their safety helmets and lights had even been there.
This year’s ride was promoted as part of the month-long Festival of Sheppey.
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