CHESTER FC star Ben Mills and London 2012 Paralympic cycling gold medallist Dame Sarah Storey are encouraging people to enter the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Mercia.
Entries for the event are now open with the 69 mile route winding through West Cheshire countryside and taking in sights including Beeston Castle, Delamere Forest and Little Switzerland.
There has already been much interest in the event, which will take place on August 18.
Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Series ambassador Dame Sarah, who has won 11 Paralympic gold medals, said: “I’m so excited to see the interest building for this fantastic cycling event in my local area. I was on the route recently and it is spectacular.
“It is a mass participation event, it’s non-competitive, and people will have their own little personal goals that they will want to achieve and that’s perfect and it is what sport is about. It is about doing the best you can and enjoying yourself.”
The Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Series has raised more than £1.5 million for charity over the past seven years and includes the Etape Mercia, Etape Caledonia and Etape Pennines events.
The Etape Mercia route starts and finishes with a lap of Oulton Park racing circuit before heading out into the countryside and returning to Oulton Park for a final victory lap.
In addition to general entries, 400 free charity pledge places are available to those willing to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
For more details or to enter go to www.etapemercia.co.uk