Bone Rattler cycle team smash 100-mile marathon to support three special charities

Cyclists Andrew Moult, 65, along with teammates Condessa Parke, 68, and Mark Smith, 64, are all members of the bike-club Walsall Arboretum Cycling Club.

Together they completed a 60-mile long charity cycle in 2023, but have almost doubled that length this year while raising £1,300 for Blood Cancer UK, The Eve Appeal and Shine, three charities close to the hearts of the daring participants.

The impressive team did it by completing the RideLondon-Essex 100 - a 100-mile long cycle that happens every year in the country's capital city.

And for the specific event they coined their three-person troupe 'The Bone Rattlers', whizzing through the marathon in less than 10 hours.

Speaking on the money-raising drive, Andrew said: "We made our way down to the start and met with Michelle, our support adviser, who told us to make our way into the line of competitors who were already on their way.

"We got to the first water-point, which seemed ok, and as we were all in good spirits we carried on to Essex.

"We found some of the roads quite difficult, they were very hilly and there was a lot of crashes and incidents from cyclists on the way.

"At one point we all had to stop because of how many had happened, a couple of people got injured but we came out with no issues ourselves.

"I found the terrain and the roads quite tough as we were going through different villages and towns, but towards the finish was the real test and we had to find that extra resource inside us to keep going.

"The last mile and a half was the most difficult so we had to push ourselves, telling each other we were not far away and to keep pushing for the people who we're going to be able to help with the money raised."

The cycling gang managed to get the marathon done in less than 10 hours and Andrew said hitting a personal best, raising money for three charities and experiencing the 'once-in-a-lifetime' event made the tough training regime they completed in preparation worth every tiring minute.

He said: "It was so rewarding, thinking about the people we're going to help really kept us going and we all achieved a personal best because we had not done 100 miles before.

"We raised £1,300 and more is coming in, we'll keep the fundraiser open for a while longer, but we understand it's a tough time for people and were extremely grateful for everyone's generosity so far.

"We hope to get to £2,000, but what we have raised so far is brilliant and we're very thankful for the support."

Andrew finished off by saying that the 'exhilarating' event is something that 'anyone should get involved in' while highlighting how 'amazing' the cycling community is.

He said: "I would encourage anyone thinking of doing it to get it done, it's an exhilarating experience and the cycling community is amazing."