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The fundraisers taking part in Rugby League Cares’s epic cycling challenge, the UK Red Empire State 500, will break new ground – and break the ice – in June when they are joined by Canadian rider Shannon Nix.
Shannon is the Programme Implementation Manager for Breaking The Ice, Canada’s equivalent of Movember Ahead of the Game, the mental fitness initiative that is being delivered by RL Cares to thousands of young people across the UK.
On June 5, Shannon will saddle up alongside Rugby League legends including the sport’s most-capped player, Adrian Morley, and internationals Keith Senior and Paul Wood to embark on a gruelling 520-mile bike ride from the spectacular Niagara Falls to Central Park in Manhattan.
Along the way she will share her experience running Breaking The Ice with Keith, Paul and other members of the ride who are involved in the hugely-successful Ahead of the Game programme that forms part of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup’s mental fitness charter.
“I can’t wait to meet everyone and am really looking forward to getting to know more about Rugby League,” said Shannon. “The Canadian team at Movember have heard nothing but good things about the way in which Movember Ahead of the Game is changing the lives of young people in the UK for the better.
“I know from my involvement in Breaking The Ice that the programme really works, and from my own experience I’ve seen how sport can be a great conduit for bettering both physical and mental health.
“I’ve never done anything like this before and over 500 miles on a bike in just six days is going to be tough, but it’s good to test yourself! This is going to be one big test for me!
“I’m also keen to raise as much as I can for Rugby League Cares as my own way of thanking the charity for all it’s doing to leverage our programme in the UK.”
Former Leeds, England and Great Britain centre Keith Senior, who leads the Movember Ahead of the Game programme in his position as Community and Welfare Manager for RL Cares, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Shannon to the UK Red Empire State 500 and are looking forward to forging stronger links between Movember Ahead of the Game and Breaking The Ice.
“Shannon is a terrific addition to the UK Red Empire State peloton and I’m sure she’ll enjoy suffering endless hours in the saddle and grinding out the tough miles as much as the rest of us!”
The UK Red Empire State 500 is a 520-mile largely off-road bike ride from the spectacular Niagara Falls through New York state to the iconic Central Park in Manhattan.
Over six memorable days, the riders will follow the historic Erie Canal and Hudson River, taking in sections of the Appalachian Trail and seeing small-town America up close and personal from the saddle.
The main sponsors of this fantastic fundraising initiative are Leeds-based security specialists UK Security and Fire Systems: for more information please visit their website here
To support Shannon’s fundraising efforts on the UK Red Empire State 500, please visit her Justgiving page
