'Like cycling into a hair dryer' - Riders battle the heat to complete Hayling Charity Cycle Ride on its 40th anniversary

The 40th anniversary of a popular annual cycle ride from Paris to Hayling Island saw riders raise £35,000 for charity.

The founder of the ride, Pete McQuade, was once again amongst the riders on the landmark year having taken part in every edition so far. The cyclists left for Paris on July 4 returning to Hayling Island on July 11 having ridden around 400 miles in sweltering hot conditions.

Pete said: “It was very tough. Generally we were cycling in the mid 30s but two days in particular it was like cycling into a hair dryer. You fill up your water and half a mile down the road it was lukewarm already, but having said that it was enjoyable.”

The special anniversary saw a number of people return to take on the challenge having not taken part in a few years. For Pete though there was a number of special moments as the support team made sure to mark the anniversary appropriately.

One day they wore shirts with a caricature of him on it and also handed out cycle jerseys to the riders honouring the founder of the event. What was most special for Pete though was what was arranged at the finish.

He said: “Every year, generally, we officially finish at Pegasus Bridge, and there is a café there called Café Gondree which was the first building liberated in 1944.

“The lady who runs it, Arlette Gondree, has been a friend of the bike ride since the mid 1990s and the support team arranged in advance that she would be the one to present me with my finishers medal which I found very moving.”

While Pete continues to ride in the event he he handed over the management of the event to a committee. He was delighted to confirm that there will be another ride next year which he has not ruled out taking part in himself as it would be his 40th ride.

More details on the ride can be found at https://haylingcycleride.org.uk/.

Pictures from this year’s Paris to Hayling cycle ride can be found below: