Vegan Couple On World-First Emission Free Cycling Challenge To Save Wild Spaces

At the beginning of September, a vegan couple from North Yorkshire will begin a 2,000-mile cycle to all 15 UK national parks. 

Joshua Kian and Sarah Grace-Morgan aim to complete the epic plant-powered ride in just 30 days.

This emission-free Ride for the Wild challenge is the first of its kind. They will be cycling 60 over miles a day, back-to-back and camping throughout the self-supported ride. 

It means they will be cycling for more than 9 hours a day in rain or sun, 270 hours in one month. They will pitch and unpitch the tent at least 60 times, burn at least 120,000 calories and eat lots of peanut butter. 

Starting from their front door in Skipton, they will first head to the Scottish Highlands, following on the Lake District and Wales, along the south coast to Norfolk Broads, before travelling inland to the Peak District and finally the Yorkshire Dales, only 5 miles from their home. 

Josh told TheVeganKind: "The ride will definitely push us to our limits - we're far from pros. Each daily 60-mile cycle is a challenge but camping, finding food and water adds on a whole other element. It's seriously tough but after a long summer of hard training, we're glad to have hit the road."

The pair hopes their efforts can spread awareness of the UK's spectacular outdoor regions and the need to protect the wild spaces. 

Sarah said: "In the UK, we're very lucky to be surrounded by beautiful nature, but it's slowly being lost. Knowing our ride might be able to help protect the landscapes we're cycling through helps to keep us motivated and legs pumping.

"We've got so much on our doorsteps, and with a little imagination you can really have a wild time. If our ride can help inspire others to embrace the national parks and wild spaces around them we'd be over the moon.

"It's been a tough few years but I think we can all appreciate how vital wild spaced are, for nature's sake, and for our own wellbeing, too." 

Josh and Sarah are raising funds for Trees for Life, an award-winning charity in Scotland organising plantation projects, wildlife reintroduction schemes and biodiversity programs to restore Scotland's Caledonian Forest.

So far, they have raised over £1,500 and hope their journey will continue to generate additional support and allow to plant more trees which is one of the greatest tools to fight climate change.

"Woodlands are the most biodiverse habitats in the UK. They're crucial to so climate change and they inspire generations. Yet, we have less woodland than nearly all other European countries," Sarah said. 

"Trees for Life are helping to change that. We could all do with more trees!"