Come rain or Tyne? Teacher meets his weather match on 250-mile ride for charity

Pulling up to the third petrol station in six hours, Stephen Hannah and his cycling partner, Paul Hume, hoped that this time they would be able to find some shelter to go with their hot drinks.

As expert bike riders, they knew the 320-mile endurance challenge they had set themselves would throw some surprises at them, but not this.

Stephen, who is Head of Year 9 at Jarrow School, planned the cycle ride to recreate the infamous 1936 Jarrow March, hoping to both raise money for our charity, and awareness about the impact of poverty on young people.

Yet, what had been predicted as a quiet period between two red weather warnings, turned into an epic feat of endurance lasting over 24 hours.

“When we started at 4pm, we felt lucky to see such great conditions,” explains Stephen, “The sky was bright and clear, the wind was behind us and we were making great time.”

“Then over time, we found the nature threw everything it could at us. At 10pm we had to deal with two punctures, then as we got back into the ride the torrential rain came.”

It would be another two hours of riding in high winds, frozen rains and 1-degree temperatures until they found somewhere to grab a hot drink and short break. Another eight until they reached a Starbucks where they could sit back, dry their clothes and reflect on how to progress. At this point, they had covered over 160 miles and were halfway to their goal.

“A lot of people think that to get to the finish line of endurance challenges your ‘sportsmanship’ will motivate you to the finish line. In reality, it’s more your problem-solving skills that get you there and keep you safe.

“You have to stay level-headed and ask the important questions. When is the next safe end to the challenge? What can we fix now? If I get to breaking point, will I ever want to ride a bike again?”

In the end, the duo decided that reaching 24 hours was the perfect milestone to safely end the challenge, during which the pair totalled over 250 miles.

“The funny ending to our epic adventure was that one of my friends happened to be passing Wetherby Services where we had finished, so we were able to hitch a very quick lift!”

Stephen hopes that in addition to the £1,100 raised so far, his journey will share a positive message for the young people resonate with the young people he works with.

“I think there is a valuable lesson that might resonate with teenagers. There is a lot of pressure on young men in particular to “man up” and not appear to be vulnerable at all. We were experienced, we did everything right, but we still had to make the sensible decision to stay safe rather than be heroes. For example, I have a 10-month-old baby at home, I was choosing to be a good parent and partner by staying safe, not showing weakness.

“Cycling together we were stronger, but only if we admitted when things were difficult.”

Lucy, Stephen’s wife, said, “I am very proud of my husband Stephen and his impressive levels of resilience. He is always looking for ways to raise money for excellent causes and is passionate about the welfare of young people. He is not afraid to put himself out there by pushing himself to his limits. I truly admire his strength of character.”

Stephen chose Children North East because of they work they do across the region supporting young people impacted by poverty, the impact of which he sees often in his work.

“Right now 37% of children in the North East live in poverty. That can make a huge impact on their confidence, opportunities and daily experience. Children North East do great work with young people in schools and in their communities to change this.”

You can make a donation to Stephen’s fundraiser at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pedalforcause and follow his Pedal for Cause Twitter (@pedalforcause) to stay in touch with future fundraising endurance challenges.