Charity bikers net £30,000 for good causes

11 June 2007

A team of weary cyclists arrived at the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, 10 June after completing a gruelling London to Paris bike ride to raise thousands of pounds for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, the British Heart Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Led by Sheffield property developer Mark Dransfield and his brother Paul, the 17 strong team of amateur cyclists covered 300 kilometers over three days, averaging a tiring seven hours cycling every day.

The riders were closely followed by support vehicles, but managed to complete the challenge without sustaining any injuries. They had to contend with blistering temperatures and only got lost once!

Over £30,000 has been raised by the event, and people can still make a contribution by contacting Jackie.helliwell@dransfield.co.uk.

The team have pledged to make the bike ride an annual event, with the intention of covering the whole of Europe over the next ten years. Next year’s race will take the riders from Paris to Brussels, and have a fundraising target £40,000.

Mark Dransfield said: “We’ve all got aches and pains and wish we had done more training before the trip, but we’ve managed to raise a lot of money for some very good causes. My chosen charity is Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity which helps to make hospital life more bearable for youngsters undergoing treatment.

“We are all committed to making the bike ride an annual event and have set ourselves the challenge of securing a year on year increase in the money raised, which will provide a great boost to our nominated charities.”

Paul added: “The bike ride was an unforgettable experience, taking us through some breathtaking scenery on both sides of the channel. But the biggest reward comes from knowing that our aches ad pains are not in vain, and the money raised will make a real difference to people’s lives.”