850 miles, 10 days to Cycle a Difference across Vietnam

Fancy riding 850 miles through some truly spectacular landscapes of Vietnam this November, and doing it for a good cause, that's what on offer on the Cycle a Difference ride - a charity ride supported by many big names in the bike industry which aims to raise money for the Newborns Vietnam charity.

The ride is aimed at enthusiastic cyclists and while it will be a challenge, 850 miles in 10 days of riding (you do the maths) it will be a challenge there are hills, and even mountain and is basically being pitched as doing 10 sportives spread over 12 days, but it is very definitely designed to be doable by most reasonably fit cycling enthusiasts. One thing is for sure, if you start reasonably fit you're going to end it very fit.

The route takes you from Hanoi in the North to Da Nang - where you will get to meet some of those who will benefit from your efforts – before finally finishing off in the nearby port of Hoi a World Heritage site. Along the way you'll get to ride through the Northern Highlands, along the Ho Chi Minh trail, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park another UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the ancient capital of Hue,  and over the Hai Van pass - the highest mountain pass in Vietnam (check out the Cycle a Difference flickr gallery to get a flavour of the route).

Ideal bikes for the trip? Is of the road variety and you'll want to be running 23-28mm tyres says Luke Humphreys, who will be your ride captain. Mike Hall, currently taking part is the Round the World Bike Race will be taking part as part of his post-race warm down so you won't want for tips on dealing with the daily mileage. There's plenty more info on the very comprehensive FAQ page on the Cycle a Difference website

Places on the Cycle a Difference ride are limited to 50, you can book yours via the ride website www.cycle-a-difference.com. Those taking part will need to pay an initial £500 desposit and raise £3000 - Cycle a Difference is entirely run by unpaid volunteers so all the money you raise minus the cost of the trip will go to improving the lot of Vietnamese infants - organisers say that should be as much as £2,600 per person - so you really will cycle a difference.

Newborns Vietnam is working with doctors, parents and newborn infants to improve the care and survival rates for newborn babies in Vietnam, it's humanitarian work with a capital 'H" so even if you can't make the ride you can always pop over to their Just Giving page and make a donation.