Cyclists’ wheely ‘substantial sum’ for Otley Rugby Club (From Ilkley Gazette)
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Cyclists’ wheely ‘substantial sum’ for Otley Rugby Club
9:00am Saturday 20th October 2012 in News
Otley RUFC members (from left) Craig Thornton, Gareth Bibby, Steve Cooper, Pete Latham, Neil Hargreaves and Andy Hargreaves, who rode to Hull to raise funds for the club. Picture by Sam Hargreaves
Some fine weather helped a group of rugby supporters from Otley complete a 95-mile fundraising cycle.
Pete Latham, brothers Neil and Andy Hargreaves, Craig Thornton, Gareth Bibby and Steve Cooper set off for the back-roads ride to Hull on Saturday.
The friends, who cycle together on Sundays, had organised the challenge to raise money for Otley Rugby Club – and caught a lift back on the team bus after reaching their destination. Mr Hargreaves, 46, said: “It went well, there were no problems and it was fantastic weather, so we went good and steady and did it in just over six hours.
“We’d arranged it so we could travel back on the bus with the Otley players, as they’d been playing Hull on Saturday, when they were narrowly beaten, unfortunately.
“We were congratulated by the players, who are a great bunch of lads, and at night we went for a curry – so it was a good day.”
The group is still gathering sponsorship money from the ride but hopes it will end up raising a “substantial sum” for club funds.
Determined to keep the fundraising going, the cyclists are now planning to go on a ride, this time to Preston in April to tie in with a match against Preston Grasshoppers.
