More than 50 cyclists pedalled 200 miles in a day to raise £15,000 for East Anglia Air Ambulance and Beads of Courage.

Ely Standard: Ely Octagon Cycling Club on its 200 mile trip for charity PHOTO: Octagon Cycling ClubEly Octagon Cycling Club on its 200 mile trip for charity PHOTO: Octagon Cycling Club (Image: Archant)

The team from Ely’s Octagon Cycling Club followed a route from Ely, taking in Swaffham, Cromer, Great Yarmouth, Stowmarket and returned to Ely after 12 hours of riding in extremely hot conditions.

Robin Jones, founder member of Octagon Cycling Club, said he was extremely proud of the team’s performance.

“We’ve all been training hard for this event. Some of our less experienced newbie riders have been riding with the club for less than a year and originally struggled to ride for 30 miles.

“After several months of endurance training and a huge amount of commitment, they managed to surprise themselves.

“We were all truly inspired by the stories of extreme bravery shown by children from the Beads of Courage programme undergoing gruelling hospital treatment over many years.

“Knowing that we were riding with purpose was a great motivation throughout the day.”

The fundraising group set off from Ely Cathedral at 5am and after lunch in Gt Yarmouth, a couple of rest stops and a few punctures, returned to the Cathedral by 8.30pm the same day.

“Most members have been training since January, with several riders going out every weekend come rain or shine, in order to acclimatise to the long distances involved,” Robin said.

“On the day, temperatures exceeded 26 degrees, with strong winds from the start. However, the riders were well supported with several water stops and van escorts, rolling in together to a heroes welcome with family and friends.”

Octagon Cycling Club has raised more than £22,000 for local charities following previous charity rides and is well known for its friendly, relaxed fundraising ethos as well as prioritising cake on their training rides.

This year they’ve already exceeded their original target. This will be shared between local charities East Anglia Air Ambulance and Beads of Courage.

East Anglian Air Ambulance provides helicopter emergency medical services across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.

Beads of Courage UK offers complete support and assistance for children with chronic and long term serious illness.

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