About

A group of us consisting of family, friends and colleagues are taking on the RBLs Pedal Normandy Beaches 2024 and raising funds to provide the lifelong support that our Armed Forces community needs and deserves today.

We have supported the RBL through these events in the past completing the Poppy rides, Pedal to Ypres and Ian undertaking Pedal to Paris on multiple occasions.  When this opportunity came up for a new ride to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Normandy otherwise known as Operation Overlord it was one that could not be missed.  WW2 is still clear in our minds as it is our grandparents or parents’ generation that fought in it.  That being said there are fewer and fewer veterans still around and the memory of what took place in WW2 needs to feed to the next generations.

As a team we are a mixed bunch with some hardcore cyclists and those that are carrying a bit too much timber however we all aim for the same goal to complete the event and raise vital funds for the RBL.

Over three-days we’ll cycle through Normandy, marking the 80^th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and remembering the sacrifices made by all those who fought in both World Wars.  We’ll cycle 351km and tour the five D-Day beaches: Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah. We’ll also visit other key historical areas including Bayeux, Arromanches-les-Bains, Pegasus Bridge, Sainte-Mère-Église and many more. Joining us for the trip is our dedicated historian who will bring the history to life as we venture through the frontlines of the Battle of Normandy enabling us to pass this knowledge on.

The total distance over the three-days is 351km (day 1: 104km, day 2: 166km, day 3: 80km) and is a hilly ride, with total elevation 2,600m (day 1: 1,050m, day 2: 1,000m, day 3: 550m), with rolling terrain throughout each day. 

Our team’s name represents OO (Operation Overlord) 1944 (the year of the Battle of Normandy) and Autobus (a cycling term meaning group of cyclists that rides together in the mountain stages of a race (hills in our case). The group’s sole purpose is making the time cut that will allow them to ride the following day. These cyclists ride for the benefit of their team rather than to win the race which we think is appropriate for what happened in WW2.

Please donate to the team or individually and help the Royal British Legion continue to provide vital services and support for the Armed Forces community - serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.