When it comes to Heavy Metal bands, I must confess, it’s not really my cup of tea. So when I heard that Iron Maiden manager Ron Smallwood and editor of Metal Hammer magazine Alexander Milas were getting together some people to ride bikes to the Download Festival at Donington, I imagined, as you probably are right now, the streets being filled with Harley Davidson’s, revving their engines so loud your ears bleed and general mayhem occurring.
Well, my cycling chums, you would be totally WRONG!!
Yes, the streets will be filled with bikes – but not the gas-guzzling behemoths you’d expect. The group is called The Heavy Metal Truants and the ride is called “Donington Or Bust!“. It’s being done on bicycles with the journey starting from Alexandra Palace in London today, the 12th June, and arriving at the Download Festival on the 14th June.
The ride is to raise funds for three Children’s Charities – Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy, Childline/NSPCC and Teenage Cancer Trust.
And some well known faces from the world of Heavy Metal are taking part – Trivium’s Paolo Gregoletto and Paradise Lost frontman Nick Holmes to name just two with Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson joining for the last leg of the journey.
I do hope these Heavy Metal types are fully prepared though – riding all that way without suitable lubrication can cause saddle sores…..
So rather than “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter”, it would be a case of “Stop The Chafing, Accumilating!”
Let's Ride Birmingham! 