A TEAM of cyclists training to cycle 700km across the French Pyrenees in memory of an Oxfordshire schoolgirl have raised £10,000 in four months.
The Peaky Climbers group from Wantage are raising money for charity in memory of Grove teenager Maisie Norton who passed away in October 2015.
Maisie died after a six-year battle with cancer and the eight cyclists are fundraising for the Caring Cancer Trust which organises holidays for terminally-ill children and teenagers – including, a few years ago, Maisie.
They are hoping to raise £30,000 by the time of their challenge in September this year and are well on their way.
Team member Paul McIntosh, who lives in Woodlands Brook, Wantage, said: "We've already passed the £10k mark towards the fund raising which is incredible."
The Peaky Climbers are also raising money for the British Lung Foundation in memory of Mr McIntosh's late mother and sister.
His mother Valerie, who lived in Hertfordshire, died nearly ten years ago from a lung disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Sister Tania Masters passed away last November from a different lung condition – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
The team is completed by John Boaler, Mark Crick, Ben Heavers, Neil Barson, Stuart Eadie, Allen Stacey and Simon Haly.
Together they will attempt to cycle the King of Mountains route from the Tour de France, across the French Pyrenees and Alps.
The 700km ride – equivalent to cycling up Mount Everest 2.25 times – includes 20,000 metres of mountain climbs and will take seven days.
Follow their fortunes at peakyclimbers.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here