TWO Warwickshire farmers are swapping oars for pedals as they take on an epic challenge to raise funds for Get A-Head and Meningitis Now.
Rod Adlington and Guy Minshull were part of a mixed four-person crew which rowed 3,200 miles across the Atlantic in 2024, raising more than £150,000 for the charities.
In May 2026 they are taking on a fresh challenge – cycling 100 miles a day for 10 days through some of the most beautiful countryside the UK has to offer in the Land’s End 2 John O’Groats challenge – and they’re looking for others to go along for the ride.
Rod, a turkey farmer from Balsall Common, is hoping to raise £25,000 for the charities and this time he has roped in some help from the family with son, Toby (26), and daughter, Lily (22) also signing up for the mammoth ride.
He said: “This is a charity challenge and we’re looking for more competitors to sign up and get involved. We’ve already got a team of seven with riders joining us from all walks of life and from right across the country but the bigger the contingent of riders the better.”
Get A-Head supports people with head and neck disease, while Meningitis Now is the UK’s leading meningitis charity providing awareness, research and vital support to people affected by head and neck cancer.
Rod is an ardent fundraiser for both charities in memory of his son Barney who died from meningitis in 2005 when he was just three-years-old.
Rod, Lily, Toby and Kenilworth arable farmer Guy will be joined on the bike ride by 60-year-old Graham George from Stratford – an all-round athlete, Mark Parker, a farmer, rugby player and keen cyclist from Banbury near Oxford and Simon Pemberton, an ex-England water polo player from Solihull.
Rod continued: “This classic British cycling challenge was first completed by Alfred Nixon in 1882. We’ve created an outstandingly beautiful route, keeping to quieter country roads and taking in some fantastic scenery along the way, from the typically English countryside to the remote rugged highlands of Scotland. Now all we need are more competitors: cyclists, feel free to get involved.”
Riders are advised that they should have fitness levels capable of completing 80-100 miles a day with hills.
Visit www.givewheel.com/fundraising/12705/lejog-2026/ to donate or bikewhereyoulike.com/lejog/ to sign up.
