“Two blokes in their 50s. Two mountain bikes. One slightly ridiculous challenge.” That is how Paul Dyer and his riding partner Rob introduced the fundraising page for their latest undertaking. Having looked at the route, it is hard to argue with any part of that description.
600km From Clarens to Ballito
The Go2C Mountain Bike Race covers 600km across South Africa, running from Clarens in the Free State to Ballito on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and it is ridden over six days. It is widely regarded as one of the toughest mountain bike stage races in the world. Paul and Rob's ride was set to begin on 10th September 2026.
As they tell it, none of this was ever really the plan. “A few years ago, neither of us would have thought this sounded like a sensible idea. To be honest, we're still not entirely convinced,” they wrote. “What we started as weekend rides around Essex somehow escalated into early morning training sessions, muddy trails, aching legs, and now one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world.”
Riding for SNAP
The pair are raising money for SNAP — Special Needs and Parents — the Brentwood-based charity that supports families across Essex with children and young people aged 0 to 25 who have additional needs or disabilities. SNAP asks for no formal diagnosis and no professional referral before a family can use its services, which for a great many parents is the difference between getting help and going without.
SNAP is a charity PMD supports, alongside the local junior football teams we sponsor. There is more about both on our community page.
The Total So Far
At the time of writing, the page has raised £8,019.65 from 122 donations, with a further £1,555 in Gift Aid on top of that.
In Paul and Rob's own words: “Every donation, no matter how big or small, will help SNAP continue providing vital support to the families who need it most. And, if we're honest, it'll also give us a little extra motivation when we're questioning our life choices somewhere in the South African wilderness.”
How to Donate
The fundraising page is still open, and every penny raised goes to SNAP.
Thank you to everyone who has given so far.