The 'Rovers Racers' raise over £4,500 for charity!
This years London to Amsterdam cycle challenge has been one of the most successful yet after over £305,000 was raised.Rovers representative Abi Rodwell, who was joined by friends from Doncaster Sarah Huish and Charlotte Gough, cycled the 150 mile route from Leyton Orient’s Matchroom Stadium in the ‘East End’ of London to Harwich and then into Amsterdam on day two, all to raise valuable funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
Joined by members of the Football League, also on the challenge were the likes of Simon Grayson, manager of Preston North End, Paul Peschisolido, Matt Holland, Terry Butcher and many more.
Abi described the challenge as an “unforgettable experience” and has already expressed her interest in completing the challenge again in 2016.
“The whole weekend and experience was just brilliant. I know it’s a cliché thing to say but it really was unforgettable and I feel very proud to have been a part of it,” she said.
“Day one was hard, tougher than I expected. There were times when I had a real mental battle climbing the hills through Colchester and Harwich, but day two made up for it as we cycled through a fairly flat Holland seeing the sights.
“To give people an idea on day one we climbed a total of 800 metres in inclines compared with a total of 100 metres in Holland.
“Day two was much more relaxed and we cycled 56 miles before re-grouping at our final water stop just 4 miles away from the Amsterdam ArenA. We then cycled the final 4 miles in groups of 90- so everyone arrived at the same time.
“Being only 3 of about 15 girls who took part in the challenge, we were kindly adopted by the 70 men representing Ipswich Town over the weekend (which included former professional footballers Terry Butcher, Matt Holland and Simon Milton); they certainly looked after us well!
“Joining the Ipswich boys, we cycled to the Amsterdam ArenA all together where we were greeted by bottles of champagne and a medal presentation.
“I can honestly say it’s the best experience I’ve ever had and the feeling you get when crossing that finish line with a group of friends is overwhelming. So much so that I’ve already registered my interest for next years ride!"
The London to Amsterdam cycle challenge is open to anyone and registration for the 2016 challenge is already open. If you are interested in representing your club please email cycling@prostatecanceruk.org
For more information, click here.