Sam Houghton and the Sam Houghton Mountain Bike Challenge

Sam Houghton grew up in Staveley and was a keen mountain biker. Sadly, Sam lost his battle against cancer and died aged only 22 in May 2006.

​In 2007, in memory of Sam, a small local charity mountain bike ride was organised by those that knew and loved him to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. The ride covered the Longsleddale, Kentmere & Troutbeck Valleys and taking in Garburn Pass; some of Sam's favourite routes.

The response and support from the local community and mountain bikers was amazing and so The Sam Houghton Mountain Bike Challenge became an annual event!

Running from 2007 to 2019, the event grew from just 100 riders to 500 riders each year and raised over £200,000 for Cancer Research UK.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, it wasn't possible to hold the event in 2020 or 2021. Following that break, it felt right to bring new energy to the event and to engage and pass the baton onto the next generation of bikers who may not have had a direct connection with Sam. We hope that changing the event name to the Staveley 3 Valleys Challenge will allow us to make that connection and transition to ensure the event goes from strength to strength!