Bikes Against Bombs is a series of charity bike rides created by Wholesale and Convenience sector professionals, for the industry. Co-founded in 2015 by Neil Turton (NED at Alliance Channel Islands), Tom Fender (Development Director – TWC) and Raj Krishan (Sales Director – Ty Nant Water).
In the last eight years, over 100 UK wholesale, convenience, FMCG and service-provider execs have cycled across Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, the UK and Bosnia-Herzegovina and have raised over £1 million for MAG (Mines Advisory Group) – the Manchester based charity, awarded Co-Laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its role in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
The latest venture saw 35 people cycling over 400 dusty, hilly kilometres from Chiang Rai in Thailand to Luang Prabang in Laos. The team smashed their target of £170,000 to raise over £220,000 – this is absolutely extraordinary, and was a major achievement for the team, for MAG, and for the sector.
And they aren’t stopping there….
The team are going to keep going, building on the incredible success of these events so far and continuing to make the world a safer place. The sector wants to continue to make the world a better place…so we are thrilled to announce that there will be another ride next year – VIETNAM CYCLE CHALLENGE 2024!
We want even more laughs, tears, cramps, aches, amazing scenery, songs, a few hills, heat, dust and everything else which makes a Bikes Against Bombs challenge what it is.
The team have seen first-hand the instant impact that MAG’s work has and want to keep raising vital funds and awareness for communities following wars and conflict, to allow MAG to continue to do their outstanding and life changing work.
By sponsoring the team, you are directly helping to save lives and build futures around the world. Thank you.
Why we cycle for MAG
Every day across the world 15 people are killed or injured by a landmine or unexploded bomb. Tragically, half of civilian casualties are children.
We believe that everyone has a right to live in safety and free from fear. MAG teams work in over 30 countries around the world to remove unexploded landmines and bombs from land and destroy them, making it safe for communities to grow food crops; build homes, schools, health clinics and carry out other infrastructure projects; and access water sources.
Read more about MAG’s global work
We are going to be cycling across Vietnam in the 2024 cycle challenge.
The most heavily bombed country in the world, it is estimated that there are still 800,000 tonnes of unexploded bombs remaining from the conflict which ended nearly 50 years ago – each bomb just as dangerous today as it was the moment it was dropped.
Vietnam experienced intense fighting and heavy aerial bombardment from 1964-1975 with over five million tonnes of bombs dropped, leaving every single province riddled with deadly explosives. These cluster munitions, projectiles and grenades lie waiting in the ground, on riverbeds and among branches, forcing generations of people born long after this conflict ended to live in fear.
MAG started working in Vietnam in 1999 and is currently deploying our dedicated, expert and locally-recruited teams in two of the most heavily contaminated provinces of the country – Quang Binh and Quang Tri. Every day the teams identify, mark, remove and destroy these deadly weapons once and for all.
Every bomb that our teams find, every field that is returned to farmers, every well dug, every school playground surveyed and deemed safe, and every health centre built on cleared land is a step towards a future free from fear.
Girls in Tien Kim Village, Quang Tri. November 2007.