Top racehorse trainer Ben Pauling will be swapping one saddle for another when he takes part in a charity cycling event next month.

Pauling, who is based in the Cotswolds, is one of a number of big names from the world of racing who is set to take part in the 24-hour Great Racing Welfare Cycle on Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th July, an event which starts at Cheltenham Racecourse at noon on the Saturday.

Other big names set to take part include the legendary AP McCoy, National Hunt jockey Harry Skelton and top Flat jockey Oisin Murphy.

And one thing is for certain, the 80-plus riders who have signed up – they come from all walks of life – will need to be in tip-top condition because one look at the route and it’s clear it’s not an event for the faint-hearted, even though they will obviously get some downtime.

“This challenge is based on a team of four people, two will be out on the route cycling while two rest at the ‘Riders Camp’ based at the racecourse,” say the organisers.

“Teams will start their challenge at noon on 16^th July and leave the racecourse for an undulating, challenging, 30km ride through the Cotswolds including climbing the imposing Cleeve Hill.

“The four riders will tag-team day and night for 24 hours finishing at noon on 17^th July.”

Each 30km lap is expected to take between two or three hours and the course includes a 520-metre climb up Cleeve Hill which will take the riders to the highest point in Gloucestershire, some 1,083 feet (330m).

Pauling’s team includes his wife Sophie – they will cycle together – and he at least has some idea of the challenge he faces because he took part in the first Great Racing Welfare Cycle last year.

That was a different format with riders starting in Carlisle and finishing in Newton Abbot, a distance of some 500 miles which the cyclists completed in five days.

“The Racing Welfare Cycle challenge is an excellent way to bring the racing community together to raise money and awareness for a charity that do so much behind the scenes of racing,” said Pauling.

“Last year we as a team managed to raise £13,502, it would be great to match that this year.”

The 2021 cycle challenge raised £76,000 for the charity overall and Nicola Strong, head of communications and marketing at Racing Welfare, is hoping to raise even more this time around.

“It’s our flagship event for the year,” she said. “This year’s event is a different kind of challenge. It is tough and those people who have taken part in the training runs say it is a challenge but do-able.”

Racing Welfare is a registered charity supporting the workforce of British horseracing.

They offer professional guidance and practical help to all the racing people – including stud, stable, and racecourse staff, alongside those working in associated professions – whose dedication is vital for the wellbeing of racing.

Their work aims to help people, from recruitment to retirement, to thrive in day-to-day life and through a range of life’s challenges.