Summary
Who
Organiser:
What
Series: Audax Club Bristol
Brief
Ride4Red – a memorial ride for our amazing son using a route that he designed. A bit of Cotswolds, some Avon Valley, the Kennet & Avon tow path and 2Tunnels & B&B Railway Path
Event Info
£0.00
29/05/27 @ 15:00
Audax Awards
100
102 | 61 | 58 km
12.5-25 kph
8h30
Rainbow Flat
1041 | 605 | 450m
Facilities
Hover for brief, click for full overview.
Overview
Rufus Odin Borneo Pomeroy
13th August 2011 - 28th May 2024
Ride4Red in memory of our amazing son. I don't use the word amazing lightly, he truly was.
Riding was his way of escaping the sensory overload of city life. His love of the outdoors stemmed from this to include hiking, hill walking, wildcamping and a love of butterflies & birds of prey which he became an expert in.
Palmarès
- @2 mastered his balance bike.
- @2 1/2 on his balance bike around Bristol Docks.
- @3 3/4 towed my signing trailer in the New Forest as I was working, and again the following year.
- @4 using a FollowMe tandem our first cycle camping trip.
- @4 3/4 first validated 50km audax.
- @5 first cycle camping trip solo.
- @6 first to claim the new AUK Brevet 250 award (5x 50km).
- @6 3/4 first solo 100km.
- @7 & 20d finished LEJOG solo. He is the youngest to have done so on his own bike but didn't want the recognition - during this time his interest in butterflies & birds of prey was piqued.
- - we also climbed Ben Nevis, and over the next year Snowdon, Scafell Pike and the following summer...
- @7 1/2 first 100miles.
- @8 MIZMAL, the Irish equivalent of LEJOG where we celebrated his 8th at Malin Head.
- - we also climbed Carrauntoohill & Slieve Donard to achieve all the British Isle Nation's highest peaks.
- @8 3/4 first 200km and beginning of off road adventures.
- @9 3/4 5 day hike from Weston Super Mare to Salisbury.
- @10 the Islands & Highlands off road - Golden & White-tailed eagles, Short-eared owls and a Hen harrier spotted.
- @10 1/2 rode Way of the Roses but off road - sat in a hide for an hour watching Barn owls a metre away in the Yorkshire Wolds, Hen harrier & Ring ouzel in Forest of Bowland.
- @11 rode East to West England along the Old Chalk Way and other off road paths - did 2 daily 15min transects of species and habitat.
- The day before his 12th birthday completed his first RRtY - a 200km ridden every month for 12 consecutive months.
- @12 1/2 lobbied his support worker and IT for a lunch time Minecraft Club at Redland Green School - this gave him and others a safe space with a purpose to get through the lunch break.
- @12 1/2 completely owning me on Belmont Hill!
- Posthumously reaching Everest Base Camp; the founder of 2Wish kindly took my Limpet shell with Red's ashes embedded in on her trek.
- My Limpet now travels with me, close to the Red shaped hole in my heart.
Back in 2021 after Red completed his 4th 200km at the age of 9 I suggested he write a blog about it. I added some photos, gave him his own login details and left him to it. He made a start but then said he couldn't be bothered, he may have been pranking me. Shortly after his death I discovered he did finish it so have a read, it is as he left it apart from the extra I've added at the bottom.
Ride in Peace Red X
Ride4Red 100km is a route that Red designed. We started it in September 2023 but I came off in the tunnel on the B&B railway path and injured my wrist. We never got to ride it together. It is a beautiful route taking in places we regularly rode. Do you accept his challenge?
There will also be two 60km options available:
- Castle Coombe and back - following the outward route of the 100km with the climb up onto the Cotswolds.
- Limpley Stoke and back - using the Bristol and Bath Railway Path & 2Tunnels on an out and back route stopping at the Angelfish. This is 99% traffic free and very similar to the first 50km route Red did when he was 4.
If you can't make it how about doing your own challenge where ever you are in the world.
I'm so proud of him for coming up with this route, last year's riders loved it, and I honour him by using it to raise money.
I'm hoping to set up an organisation/charity (need to figure which suits best) to empower parents of autistic children to get outdoors and do a bit of wild adventuring. The aim is to provide items to give the kids an interest in the wildlife around them, then for some garden camping before a 'wild camp' on a weekend hopefully in a nature rich area.
I was lucky that I was confident in doing this and saw how much Red flourished, so hope to pass my knowledge & skills on to other parents thus showing them that autism isn't a limitation. Ultimately creating an 'out of the box' solution should other parents wish to set something up similar in their local area.
I had hoped to get this going autumn 2025 but to be honest my mental health took a nose dive at the end of that summer and I've been doing my best to just hang on. I'm getting there, grief therapy is helping, I know what I need to do first and hopefully that'll be done towards the end of 2026 so I can put my effort into this.
My time for setting this up and running will always be free.
2025 I helped Felix Road Adventure Playground staff take a coach load of kids on a hike up Pen y fan; there was some grumbling on the way up but once at the top they loved it. This was put on with money raised from Red's Funeral Memorial. 2026 I funded the same through some monies raised here and from the Barry Rides.
Any excess monies raised will be given to an organisation/charity(s) that Red would approve of.
2025 saw £6,540 raised split between the charity 2Wish & Redland Green School's SEND department - specifically the Minecraft Club that Red instigated and The Extraordinary Club.
2026 saw £3,617 raised for my endeavour to get this off the ground so I have a good starting point.
Thanks to all who have supported thus far.
Any excess monies raised will be given to an organisation/charity(s) that Red would approve of.
Entry to the event is free (I will be covering the AUK event & GoFundMe processing fees) but you may add a donation (see above). A link will also be provided in the confirmation email, or cash can be taken on the day should you wish to do so.
On a personal note I thank Gary Harris of Gary Harris Cycles who has let me loose in his workshop - that is a form of therapy in itself. Hopefully he'll be at Castle Combe again to do any tweaks that need to be done to riders bikes.
Booking:
Bookings are taken individually. Even though it is free, do please book so I can monitor overall numbers. There is also the option to cancel if you can't attend which will greatly help me in number management.
Under 18s:
Under 18s are welcome and encouraged. Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Please message me via the enquiry link above and I'll provide a digital form that will need to be completed by their parent/guardian.
Description
Heading off along the B&B Railway Path you will head north at Mangotsfield Station and head to Pucklechurch using the easier climb through Shortwood; there is an adjacent cycle path should you wish to use on the short section into Pucklechurch.
From here head up onto the Cotswolds edge at Hinton Hill. This is the most challenging climb of the day. For those that aren't regular riders use your easiest gear; which can involve 2 feet...
Make your way to Castle Combe for the first stop at The Old Stables.
The 60km will then make a loop back to return via the way it came.
The 100km continues circumventing Chippenham to Lacock Bakery for the second stop. From here continue south past Chalfield House to Bradford on Avon.
Here you will pick up the Kennet and Avon tow path to to Dundas Aqueduct for the 3rd stop at The Angelfish before heading through Monkton Combe to the 2Tunnels and B&B Railway Path back to the finish.
Caution: The Kennet & Avon tow path is next to open water and is unpaved. It is part of the National Cycle Network and used regularly by other riders and pedestrians.
Event details: This is an unsupported event. There is no roadside collection. Though I hope to have Audax Club Bristol riders colourfully identified in their orange club kit who will be able to lend a hand and I will be riding along too. Gary Harris Cycles will hopefully have a mobile mechanic at Castle Coombe for any spares and small fixes. The route is self navigated but I provide an extensive route to be used with GPS devices and a paper based route sheet & map. There is also the option to use an app with a free account; there are full details on how to set this up for best battery management.
The map below shows all 3 routes 'as one' so if you view the elevation profile bear in mind the 100km is the first part, the next 60km the Castle Combe and back, and the last 60km Limpley Stoke and back.
Navigation
Route notes and a variety of files/links will be available usually 5 days before the event.
Will's are considered the Gold Standard for AUK events!
Map
The interactive map below is a guide, subject to change and not necessarily the final version. Toggle 'chart' for elevation & approx. slope %; now works in full screen too.
Route & validation
- The route is advisory - you just have to visit the controls and gain proof of passage within time limits where specified; there may be parts that you'd like to take a different route and that is entirely up to you; the time limits for the controls don't change!
- Validation: Instant - you get to take your validated brevet card home straight away at the end of the event.
Start details
Parking:
Reviews
What others think.
Wow, what a day and what an eclectically diverse bunch.
What an utter privilege to have had this event made available to us, put on to give us something to do, and to have been able to turn out on the day. An extraordinarily creditable testimony to all parties: those who are no longer with us, those who press on in the face of grief soaked memories, those who support quietly in the wings and all the 140(ish) participants who can now spread the word of an outstanding event. Oh yes, not a bad effort with the weather Will; despite acknowledging that it is beyond your control.
Fabulous first Audax experience
Excellent route and great camaraderie. Lovely Cotswold village stops and countryside. Lucky with the weather too – a prefect day of cycling. 🙏🚴🏽♀️
A fantastic route, a great range of surfaces
The Ride for Red 100km route is great. A good variety of surfaces and challenges on the route. Red was obviously a clever lad for designing this route. I loved it and all of the challenges he threw at us, not so much the climb at Hinton….. Thanks for a great ride Red and Will 👏👏💪👍
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Entries Closes:
29/05/27 @ 15:00 or when full.
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