A DALE woman who only took up long-distance cycling five years ago has completed a gruelling 100-mile event with her husband to raise funds for charity.
Lynne Cummins, 58, from Whorlton, along with her husband Colin, 55, both finished the Prudential RideLondon 100, along with 30,000 other cyclists and have raised more than £1,100 for Kidney Research UK in the process.
Mrs Cummins, who works part time as a community matron in Darlington, said she entered the ballot for the event as a “spur of the moment thing” after watching last year’s event on television. She said: “I watched it and thought why not?”
Mrs Cummins said she only signed herself up but then worried about getting a puncture during the event so signed her husband up too.
The couple trained for six months and even bought an exercise bike so they were in peak condition. They also set about fundraising for Kidney Research UK in support of a friend, also a keen cyclist, who has a life-threatening kidney disease.
Mrs Cummins said she was not phased about the distance, having already tackled the 80-mile Tour de France Sportif several years ago.
It was the number of other cyclists she was concerned about. She said: “We’re used to riding quite long distances and regularly go up to Holwick or across to Hurworth but we do it by ourselves.
“The challenge was the sheer amount of people and having to weave in and out of them. The spray from other bikes was horrendous as well.”
It took the couple seven hours to complete the course which started at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium before a route to the Surrey hills and back through the capital to the finish line on The Mall.
The couple had set a target of raising £500 for Kidney Research, but quickly increased their target to £900.
With a month to go on their justgiving campaign page and sheets full of sponsorship to collect, they have surpassed their new target and have
totted up £1,100 for the charity.
Anyone would like to make a donation can do so at justgiving.com/fundraising/colin-lynnecummins
