1,300 laps in 12 hours for Women's Aid Federation Of England
Molly Weaver raises £8,000 for domestic violence in 130km back garden solo ride Dirty Weaver(Image credit: Molly Weaver)
Retired professional cyclist Molly Weaver raised more than £9,000 for the Women's Aid Federation Of England in a 130km solo ride that took place in her back garden on Saturday. She called her event 'Dirty Weaver', a play on words, after the long-distance gravel event The Dirty Reiver that she had intended to race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I thought about what I could do instead, and how I could help raise money for charity in this time of increased need," Weaver said in a post on the event's JustGiving donation page.
Weaver designed the course in her back garden through grass, gravel land on tarmac. Each lap was approximately 100m long and she rode over 1,000 laps, all in 12 hours.
"This will be a mental and physical challenge unlike anything I've done before, but every donation will motivate me to keep pedalling for an important cause," she wrote on her donation page. "Let's help support those going through something unimaginable during this lockdown."
Women's Aid Federation of England is the national charity working to end domestic violence against women and children.
Weaver explained on her donation page that under 'normal' circumstances the statistics around domestic abuse are shocking and that charities helping survivors are often not given the support they need.
Some of those statistics include; one in three women aged 16-59 will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime; two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales alone; and in the year ending March 2019, 1.6 million women experienced domestic abuse.
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"It is likely that home confinement during Covid-19 will lead to further abuse by perpetrators, and figures are already rapidly increasing during the lockdown," Weaver wrote.
Weaver far surpassed her target of £2,500, bringing in more than £9,000 before the ride had ended.
You can make a donation on the event's donation page with proceeds going to Women's Aid Federation Of England.
Molly Weaver's back garden bike ride for charity - The Course (Image credit: Getty Images)
*ONE THOUSAND* laps!!! 300 to go #dirtyweaver📸 https://t.co/Jn7on0W1aW via https://t.co/pFuCJSGLQL pic.twitter.com/Tl3j8C0ibxApril 18, 2020
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
