Cyclists complete epic ride from Cardiff to Edinburgh for children’s cancer charity

After five gruelling days, 28 amateur cyclists from South Wales have completed a 600km bike ride from Cardiff Castle to Edinburgh Castle raising £58,000 for charity so far.

The C2Cycling team started its marathon journey on Tuesday 12 April and arrived in Edinburgh late in the afternoon of Saturday 16 April.

The ride was organised to raise vital funds for two South Wales-based charities, the Velindre Cancer Centre and LATCH, the Welsh children’s cancer charity.

On route the team called at Ludlow, Warrington, Kendal and Lockerbie before the final 109 km stretch into Edinburgh.

BEST OF LUCK to all of the @C2Cycling riders who have departed for their BIG cycling challenge this morning 👏🏻

Cardiff 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ➡️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Edinburgh

All in aid of @VelindreCC and @LATCHWales 💚

Over £52,000 raised so far, keep donating here ⬇️https://t.co/UuF1MDIgY7 pic.twitter.com/6SxJd3ADfh

— Velindre Fundraising (@Velindre) April 12, 2022

Ten-year-old Hywel Evans fired the starting klaxon on Tuesday as his father, Matt, led the first group out of Cardiff Castle.

In June 2020, Hywel’s younger brother, Rhys, seven, was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare blood disorder that prevents the body producing enough new blood cells.

Just four weeks after the diagnosis Rhys passed away but the children’s cancer charity, LATCH, was there by the family’s side throughout the harrowing ordeal.

Matt says: “LATCH was there for us throughout the most traumatic period in our family life and they continue to support us even today. It is one thing to see this happen to others, but it is not until it affects you directly that you realise what an incredible job these people do.

“The last five days have been remarkable. When Hywel fired the starting klaxon and we set off it was, without doubt, incredibly moving.

“It’s been a tough ride but the support we had from family and friends as we set off in Cardiff, and the people who’ve cheered us on along the way, has really helped us all complete this momentous challenge.”

Commitment and enthusiasm

Speaking to the Edinburgh News, ride organiser, Nick Robbins said: “This has been an utterly incredible experience. We’ve had nearly all conditions, in nearly all weathers, over the last five days but I’ve been so impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm of the team who have just kept going.

“It’s been hard, and we’ve encountered all sorts from sheep on the road to umpteen punctures. But knowing we’d beaten our £50,000 fundraising target just before we set off gave everyone a huge boost and some much-needed encouragement before we departed Cardiff Castle.

“And the fantastic news is that we’ve continued to add to that total over the last few days and we’re looking forward to handing the money over to Velindre and LATCH as soon as we get back to Wales.”

C2Cycling is a group of 28 keen cyclists and support crew, from across South Wales, who have come together every two years since 2015 to complete gruelling long-distance rides from Cardiff to Paris for charity.

According to their website, the team has cycled a total of 23,690 km over the last six years – the equivalent of pedalling to Argentina and back – and a couple of hundred team breakfasts.

Details of how to donate to the team’s fundraiser can be found here