Riding high for charity (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Riding high for charity

10:00am Monday 22nd September 2008

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What better way to spend a glorious Indian summer’s day than getting out on the bike early in the morning and heading for the hills?

Only this time, I was joined by about 200 others all pushing the pedals in aid of Manorlands Hospice at Oxenhope on the annual Bronte Ride for Ryder Mountain Bike Challenge.

Every year it seems to get bigger and bigger, and this time everyone set off together in a mass start from the village’s football fields and out on to the Hebden Bridge road, gradually stringing out as the first hill took its toll.

Strangely, I had a reputation to live up to, apparently, as my name featured on a list of pre-vious bike rider’s times… but I knew that the quality of the field was getting tougher all the time.

I would do well to beat my own time, and there would be a good many others who would have no problem finishing sooner.

But, the 31-mile course over into Lancashire and back via Wycoller was one to be enjoyed in glorious sunshine and a good deal of new-found camaraderie among the riders as we struggled together uphill and down dale.

There was something of a ‘race’ element to it, and no-one seemed to want to stop and admire the views as we went along, so I kept my head down, too!

Before I knew it, we were on the home run and struggling up the final pulls out of Stanbury and back down to the finishing line at the Bay Horse pub in Oxenhope, where there seemed to be a good many rides already enjoying a refreshing drink!

But I had still come in the top 50 and in a time just under my own last effort of three hours and one minute.

Very satisfying, despite still having a chesty cough and other residuary parts of the week’s heavy cold, and I had also been a part of another successful fundraising event for the hospice.

Congratulations all round to the organisers and all those who put themselves out on the day.