Cycling heroes raise £90,000 in epic 1000-mile journey from Littleborough to Italy

Three relentless cyclists have managed to raise over £90,000 for charity after pedalling themselves from Littleborough to Italy in memory of a late friend.

Tim Knight, Tim Fairley and David Kennedy who are usually “Saturday cyclists” geared up for a whopping 1000-mile trip from Hollingworth Lake to Lake Garda in northern Italy – all to raise funds for Springhill Hospice and the British Heart Foundation.

The “lake to lake challenge” was organised by the men, all aged 56, in memory of friend Simon Taylor, who died also aged 56 last year.

The four men had been friends since they met in the “pub years” of their youth, though Simon, also known as “Teddy” sadly died after a heart attack in 2023.

As well as knowing Simon from the pub, Tim Fairley said they both worked in similar jobs managing textile businesses in Rochdale and often met up in different places around the world when travelling with their work.

Simon had died very suddenly at home last August after suffering a heart attack. His wife Lisa and a passing off-duty policeman had given him CPR to try and save him but sadly he passed away.

“There was no warning at all, it was a huge shock for everyone,” said Tim. “He collapsed in the bathroom and hit his head but never recovered.

“It has been really tough for Simon’s wife Lisa and also for their six-year-old son Riley, but she’s had a lot of support, she’s got a good set of friends around her.”

 

 

Following Simon’s death, the three friends felt inspired to do something to raise money for charity and as keen amateur cyclists liked the idea of a long bike ride.

On completing the journey last weekend (18 May), Tim Fairley told Rochdale Online: “It was an incredible experience, really hard in parts, but absolutely worth it.

“It’s actually looking like we could hit £100k once we’ve finished counting everything up, as we had a party in Italy with 120 people and managed to raise even more.

“We’ll be splitting it half and half between the British Heart Foundation and Springhill Hospice.”

Tim, who lost 16kg in preparation for the challenge added: “We all had to shed some weight ready for it, we’ve put so much into this trip for such a long time, it actually felt strange when it was over.”

At the time of publication, the amount on the online fundraising page for the challenge was at £81,410.

If you would like to make a donation, visit: www.givewheel.com/fundraising/2175/lake-to-lake-cycle-ride