Cyclists got in the saddle for epic bike ride

But it was par for the course for the team of 11, all members of the Worsthorne Bike Club, who completed the challenge to ride 127 miles of the Leeds Liverpool Canal in just 17 hours.

And they hope to have raised more than £2,000 in memory of a tragic toddler whose story touched the hearts of people across the UK.

Poppy-Mai Barnard died from cancer last year and her family have set up a foundation in her memory to create a series of sanctuaries around the UK where terminally ill children can spend precious time with their families.

Wayne Fulton, a member of the Burnley and Pendle Strongman, organised the bike ride, the second event he has staged in memory of Poppy-Mai.

Wayne said: “Without a doubt, it was an amazing experience and I am so pleased to tick this one off my list of challenges to complete and I am already thinking of my next one.”

Setting off from Liverpool the group, who ranged in age from 34 to 71, had to stop when Ged Dickinson’s bike snapped in half.

Wayne said: “Luckily we had taken two spare bikes in the back-up vehicle which was just minutes away.”

And they came face to face with a cow on the towpath during the early hours of the morning who was reluctant to move for some time!

The other riders who joined Wayne were Keith Cocker, Gary Cocker, John Courteen, David Hudson, Lee Ormerod, Mark Heritage, Jainy Smith, Lee Allen, Ged Dickinson and Jonny Cox.

Wayne, who organised a sponsored truck pull at Turf Moor in 2016 for he foundation, paid tribute to the oldest rider Keith for completing the challenge.

He also thanked Chess ICT for donations, Michael Toms for the providing the back-up van and Burnley Cycle Centre for a range of sporting nutritional goodies.

Wayne also thanked support team Dan Cooper and Kristian Dawson for losing a night’s sleep.

The ride ended with a champagne welcome laid on by an army of family and friends were waiting to greet the cyclists at the finish line.