Cycling UK Forum

My sons (6 and 25) and I just did the Way of the Roses ride, and the six year old is wondering if he's the youngest to do it? (I think not, but I said I'd ask!). So please tell us your tales of young C2C rides. For the record - the 6 year old was attached to me by a TrailGator most of the way. We took 4 days with approx 40 mile days, and we did walk up a lot of the climb from Settle! The 25 year old was very patient, and supportive, carrying all our stuff.

We did the ride in 2000 with elder son Chris (9) over 4 days from Whitehaven to Sunderland.
He rode every inch of the way fuelled for the climbs on jelly babies (1 or 2 depending on the severity ).
We used a local travel firm Holiday Lakeland, who transferred our luggage between arranged hotels but otherwise left us to ride indepedently - they were really good, but I think they are no longer in business.
A great ride and the weather was mostly benign though we got a reasonable soaking going over Hartside, the hot chocolate at the cafe was very welcome indeed!

The C2C and Way of the Roses are two very different routes.So although "technically" both go West to East a C2C purist(not me!) would argue that he might be the youngest to ride(aided) the WotR but not the C2C.
Still an achievement for a 6 year old whatever set up he was on and to encourage him I'd tell him he's "one of the youngest"
My lad and I(now 11) had intended to do the WotR this year,Camping,over 3 days but it didn't happen so next year it is.

We had a 6 year old member ride solo a few years ago I think they took a bit longer than the main group who did it over 5days. She did it with family over 7days.

A mate did it both ways with his then 7-year-old lad in 2012.
http://sometimesridesbikes.blogspot.com ... st-to.html

The boy (Tom) went on to become the youngest person to do:
the Festive 500 (pretty much the first few years he did it he got an honorary mention as "the youngest rider") https://minipips.blogspot.com/2012/12/r ... 8-wet.html
youngest person ever to do an Everesting: https://minipips.blogspot.com/2017/09/e ... n-dam.html
plus a few other things like 24hr racing, the Tour Divide

I doubt he's the youngest person ever to do C2C but as mentioned there are several versions of it and several ways of determining "doing it" - is it in a day, over several days (and if so bikepacking or B&B?), does doing it on a tag-along or trailer bike or child seat count? They just did it as a fun trip back then, there was no interest in setting any record anywhere.
*edit: actually at the bottom of the page it says:
Postscript - The definitive Hadrian's Cycleway Information Trip Section now says

"Bowness to Tynemouth and back again.
Father, Richard and son Tom age 7, recently completed the 200 mile round trip in late October.
WELL DONE - Tom is the youngest to achieve this".