A team of bike riders from Darlington, who aimed to cycle 1,000 miles and raise £1,000 for Covid-affected charities, have smashed their targets.
Twenty-one sponsored riders, members and friends of Darlington Rotary, clocked up a total of 1,523 miles over the weekend and raised more than £3,000.
The riders cycled at least a 26.2 marathon circuit around Darlington, individually and socially distanced, but many did much more.
![](https://www.rotarygbi.org/media/2020/07/darlington_ride-1.jpg)
![](https://www.rotarygbi.org/media/2020/07/darlington_ride-1.jpg)
A team of bike riders from Darlington, who aimed to cycle 1,000 miles and raise £1,000 for Covid-affected charities, have smashed their targets.
The youngest cyclist was eight-year-old Max Weaver, who rode the marathon circuit with his grandparents, Rtn Ken Wiper and Anne Wiper, all from Darlington.
And the oldest was 77-year-old Rotarian, Peter Phillips, from Neasham, near Darlington.
Team leader, Rotarian Nigel Little, said: “It was a fantastic effort. All of the riders completed a marathon circuit, but two others did 50 miles and 10 did more than 100, including Rotarian Kevin Robinson, who rode the furthest – 154 miles.
“But the most important thing is that we raised at least £3,112 – triple our target – with more to come in, all of which will go to help local charities who have been affected by the pandemic.”
![darlington rotary](https://www.rotarygbi.org/media/2020/07/darlington_ride_grandparents.jpg)
![darlington rotary](https://www.rotarygbi.org/media/2020/07/darlington_ride_grandparents.jpg)
Twenty-one sponsored riders, members and friends of Darlington Rotary, clocked up a total of 1,523 miles over the weekend and raised more than £3,000.
President of Darlington Rotary, Sue Campbell, thanked everyone who took part and who had donated money.
She said: “Rotary’s fund-raising activities have, of course, been curtailed by COVID-19, and the limitations it places of people coming together.
“So this is a brilliant result by a group of determined local cyclists, which will go towards alleviating the damage the virus has wreaked on local charities.’
Darlington Rotary has undertaken a fund raising bike ride every year since 2013, raising more than £50,000. This year, a planned ride to its sister Rotary club in Mulheim, Germany, in April was a victim of the pandemic, so was replaced by this event.