A GROUP of cyclists completed a 127 mile ride of the Leeds Liverpool Canal on Saturday to raise money for Jaime’s Journey.

Twenty-one riders set off from Liverpool at 5.45am from Liverpool and 12 hours and five minutes later the first rider arrived in Leeds.

That rider was Dan Conderson who arrived just before 6pm to a great welcome from his family and supporters.

A spokesperson for the event said: “The most amazing thing about the day was that all 21 riders finished. It took some a little longer than Dan, but it didn’t matter. This was a team effort with the sole purpose of raising money for Jaime’s Journey to assist Jaime Lunn and his family from Addingham.

“Jaime suffered an unfortunate accident whilst mountain biking on Ilkley Moor in April 2020, leaving him paralysed from the chest down. So far, the bikers have raised over £16,000 for the house adaption project that is reaching its halfway point.

“The bikers had some interesting moments on the way to Leeds. Stephen had to take avoiding action and ended up in the canal. Luckily, he had a spare set of clothes in one of the support vehicles and was able to change. Martin had multiple punctures and actually had to change tyres after getting a massive rip. Ilya left some of his knee behind in Liverpool right at the beginning of the ride! Luckily, it made little difference as he arrived in Leeds second. Geese were a constant threat, being guardians of the canal path, especially early in the morning. Everyone went the extra mile to the finish, because they wanted to for Jaime. Mike cycled the last 70 miles with a bad knee from a cricketing injury which become really inflamed. For some, the last 10 miles were particularly tough, longer than the previous 117, but they pushed themselves to the brink to finish. It was a great team effort with tears and laughter.

“The riders were supported by a couple of vehicles waiting at six pre-arranged stops leapfrogging each other. One of the riders said it was the best support he had ever had on a ride. Massive thanks to Neil, Dave, Ian and Joe. The ride had the strap-line ‘Chafing the Dream’. This was certainly the case by the end of the day for all of them. Many friends and family cheered on the riders on the route, at Gargrave, Skipton and Silsden before driving ahead to Leeds for the finish. Among them were Jaime and his partner Caroline. Both were very emotional and full of praise for all the riders and support teams. What a great day all round.”

You can sponsor the riders at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/127k?utm_term=ak8QaNnQ3