Thirty-five bikers, most of their machines costing no more than £600 apiece, have ridden from Lands End to John o’ Groats in a single hit, raising over £94,000 for Cancer Research UK. The Longest Day Challenge, now in its twelfth year, runs (the clue’s in the name) on the longest summer day of the year.

The idea is to ride the 969 miles from end to end on a bike costing no more than £600, though exceptions are made if machine is in the spirit of the event, and this year 35 were entered. All of them made it to John ‘o Groats over 24-36 hours, and a wide range of bikes took part, one of them a 1999 Yamaha R1 built from crates of parts for the event. A small army of 60-70 volunteers ensured that everything ran smoothly.

Organiser John McAvoy was delighted with how it had all gone. “It was a lovely day for a ride,” he told MCN. “In many ways it was the perfect day for such a thing. It wasn’t too hot; it wasn’t too cold, and just a bit of rain up in Scotland,” adding, “I’ll keep doing it for as long as people keep wanting to do it.” To register for the 2025 Longest Day Challenge, go to their Facebook page or website.

Jim Freeman, chair of the BMF was impressed: “That’s one hell of a day ride. I’m not sure a full-on sports bike is what I’d choose but building one for under 600 quid is pretty cool. Did anyone do it on an MZ? Or how about a Super Dream, 250 naturally? Raising that amount for Cancer Research UK is phenomenal, props to John McAvoy and team for doing the logistics.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

top image courtesy of Longest Day Challenge