5:00pm Tuesday 23rd June 2009
FOUR former Bridgwater College students embarked on a mammoth cycle ride for charity - pedalling all the way to France and back to mark the D-Day anniversary.
Schoolboy friends Josh Eckett, Fraser Balaam, Matt Stewart and Alex Nicholls cycled the 400 miles from Weston to Utah beach in Normandy, to raise cash for the RNLI.
The four saw their pedal power net the rescue lifeboat charity around £1,900 as they reached their destination and came back home in just four days.
Alex Nicholls, son of Bridgwater photographer Peter Nicholls, told the Mercury: “We decided to do the 400-mile bike ride to Utah beach as it was a good distance doing 100 miles per day.
“Fraser and myself studied history and it seemed appropriate as it is the 65th anniversary of D-Day this year.
“We camped on the fields where the soldiers would have camped.”
The bike ride saw the four friends pack their Lycra suits and padded shorts, cycling to Poole, before getting the ferry across to Cherbourg in France.
They then tackled the tough French roads, before reaching the historic Utah beach - one of the famous landing beaches for Allied troops on D-Day in 1944.
After handing the cheque over to the RNLI, the boys paid tribute to all those who had sponsored them on the ride.
Alex added: “We would like to thank the people of Bridgwater for helping us reach the figure that we raised.”
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk