Rochdale cyclist raises £5,000 for charity with 500-mile bike ride

Swapping four wheels for two: The cycling team pedalled from Monaco to Rome to raise thousands for Children in Need

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A keen cyclist has, with friends and colleagues, completed a gruelling 500-mile bike ride from Monte Carlo to Rome, raising more than £5,000 for Children in Need.

Mike Knowles, saddled up for the sponsored cycle alongside Jonathon Taylor, Norman Mitchell, Mike Gubbins, Ken Smith, Steve Milne and Alan Milne.

The intrepid cyclists pedalled a total of 500 miles, taking them from Monte Carlo to Rome over six painstaking days. The team was followed by a Peugeot Boxer van, which carried all the essentials and drummed up extra support from passers-by.

After leaving Monte Carlo on Saturday 9 November, the cyclists took in the sights of Savona, La Sepia, Cecina, Orbetello and Cerveteri before arriving in the Italian capital and alighting their bikes in Vatican City.

The team completed the challenge on Thursday 14 November – the day before the live Children in Need telethon – and was warmly greeted in Rome by a crowd of supportive family and friends.

Mike is aftersales manager at RRG Peugeot in Rochdale and Darren Rostron, general manager from RRG’s bodyshop in Bolton, flew out to join the riders in Rome and help share the return drive home, some 1,700 miles.

More than £252,000 was raised across the national Peugeot UK Dealership network and this was the second consecutive year RRG Rochdale has pedalled for Pudsey – the team completed a challenging 600km bike ride from Paris to Coventry last year, raising £2,000 for Children in Need.

Mike said: “To more than double the amount raised last year is a fantastic achievement and I’d like to thank every single person who supported us, from customers popping into the dealerships, to passers-by in Italy who wondered what we were up to.

“It was a very tough challenge – especially the nasty 13-mile climb through the mountains on day two – and our legs definitely knew they’d been pushed to the limit by the time we arrived in Vatican City. All the hard work was definitely worth it though, as we raised an amazing amount for Children in Need and got to take in some wonderful sights along the way.

“This was a real team effort from start to finish and I’m incredibly proud to have been part of these events for the past two years. Donations are still coming in and that’s testament to how big an achievement this is for everyone involved.”

Freehold Community Group, which runs a playgroup in the summer holidays for around 70 disadvantaged children in Rochdale, was one of many local causes helped by Children in Need last year, receiving a grant of more than £28,000.

To contribute to the team’s cause online, please visit www.justgiving.com/rrgpeugeot