Cycling to victory is entrant number 200 in the fifth North Dorset Cycle Ride, Lola with her toy monkey Mimi. Together they raised £250 for Prostate Cancer UK as they rode in typically British damp and windy weather.
Embracing the new six-mile Family Fun ride event, developed to make the previous 12-mile ride more accessible for younger children, Lola took part in a halfway rest point with refreshments and five skill tests to challenge the younger ones (as well as parents) in slow-speed bike control, balance, riding single-handed and bike positioning. The route took them through the beautiful grounds of the new Coombe House School, Blackmore Vale Dairy, before the final ascent of Gold Hill in Shaftesbury.
This year an additional distance of 75 miles was added for cyclists who prefer a bigger challenge, travelling through the beautiful Cranborne Chase, Tollard Royal, Chalke Valley, Bulbarrow Hill and Milton Abbas.
Arranged by the Shaftesbury Rotary Club, many thanks went to the services of Gillingham Wheelers, providing riders with advice at the start of the ride; sponsors Blackmore Vale Dairy, Tesco for the energy bars and bananas (Mimi the Monkey was particularly impressed), Shaftesbury School who provided car park attendants, and Dorset Marshalls among many helpers for the event.
All rides ended with an ascent of Gold Hill, where a large crowd cheered the weary cyclists through to the finish line, accompanied by music from Connor Smith, burgers by Dorset Farm Foods, and coffee via The Really Tiny Coffee Company.
The main beneficiary of this year’s event will be Prostate Cancer UK. The remaining funds will go into the Shaftesbury Rotary Charity funds and be distributed to local charities.