KATE MIDDLETON’s much-photographed little sister Pippa made a surprise appearance in California this week, helping to launch the 3,000-mile, 12-state Race Across America charity bicycle race in Oceanside.
Pippa sported an eye-catching red, white and blue Union Jack-patterned cycling jacket and tight blue shorts, as she set off on the race’s first leg with 27-year-old brother James.
“On 14th June, my brother and I, along with six friends will be setting off on a West to East Coast Race Across America (RAAM).” she said in a statement posted on her fundraising page on Saturday. “This relay cycling event spans 3,000 miles, 12 states and 88 counties. We are aiming to complete this non-stop challenge in eight days, riding between 350 and 500 miles a day.”
The two siblings of the Duchess of Cambridge are riding with six other cyclists and are taking part in the challenge to help benefit the British Heart Foundation, of which Pippa serves as an ambassador, and the Michael Matthews Foundation, a children’s charity named for youngest-ever Briton to summit Mount Everest, who then died on the way down in 1999. His brother, also named James, is one of the Middletons’ team mates.
Participants have a maximum number of nine days to complete the Race Across America and some parts are pretty rough—they will end up climbing more than 100,000 feet during the journey. The route starts in Oceanside, California, and goes through states including Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and West Virginia before ending in Annapolis, Maryland, located about 30 miles south of Baltimore. Pippa’s team reached Congress, Arizona at Sunday, June 15, around noon, according to the officialwebsite.
After completing the Race Across America challenge, Pippa’s bike is set to be auctioned on eBay, according to the British Heart Foundation website. Pippa also plans to fly to Istanbul, Turkey, to compete in the 4-mile Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, swimming from Europe to Asia, on behalf of the charity.
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