Called the Heavy Metal Truants, the annual charity ride to Download Festival has so far raised £40,000 out of a £100,000 goal for four children’s charities, reports Marco Marcelline
A thirty-strong crew of heavy metal aficionados today set off on a 150-mile charity cycle ride from Walthamstow to a rock festival in the East Midlands.
The group set off from Big Penny Social near Blackhorse Road this morning (11th June) and will aim to arrive at Download Festival on Friday (13th June).
Called the Heavy Metal Truants, the annual group ride to Download Festival has so far raised £40,000 out of a £100,000 goal for four children’s charities: Nordoff & Robbins, Teenage Cancer Trust, NSPCC, and Save The Children.
Heavy Metal Truants was founded by Walthamstow resident and ex-music magazine editor Alexander Milas, and Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood in 2013.
Speaking to the Echo ahead of the ride, Alexander highlighted the generosity of metalheads, stating they’d raised a total of £1.5million since 2013. He explained: “Heavy metal is a community that is in many ways a family for people as well.”
The route will take them from Walthamstow to Milton Keynes, where they’ll camp for the night before heading up to Leicester on day two, before eventually making their way to Download Festival in Donington Park on Friday.
In a bid to keep everyone in the group cycling through the year, Alexander also runs the Heavy Metal Cycling Club, which sees metalheads cycle across London, before regularly ending up in breweries across Blackhorse Road.
As Alexander explains: “We decided to start the Heavy Metal Cycling Club as a way of keeping us loosely together year round. Because, you know, the joy and freedom of riding a bike can’t be overstated.”
He added: “It’s a functional mode of transport, it’s a social activity, and it does just kind of make you feel like a kid again. So there is a definite enjoyment to cycling.”
Find out more about the Heavy Metal Truants and donate to their ride here
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