A RIDE from Minety to Moët has raised more than £10,000 for charity and almost £500 towards the cost of an all-weather spots pitch for Minety Primary School.

Having trained since October, Joe Lister, Al Keck, Matt Bray, Ralph Wells and Tim Vaughan completed their challenge on June 6 and came back as better friends than ever.

In just four days the team of five from Minety pedalled a mighty 400 miles in four days, passing through the south of the UK and rural France.

The team was blessed with exceptional weather for their trip, but the sweltering 35 degree heat made the going tough in the hillier parts of the route.

One of the riders, Matt Bray, was met with disaster early on in the ride when he clipped a traffic cone put out for road works and ended up with a snapped frame.

Matt said: “The bike was a complete write off. It nigh on destroyed me but there was just no way we were not going to do it.

“Whether it was on a tricycle or a carbon frame bike we were all going to get there.”

Although traffic and roadworks hampered their progress in the UK the going in France was much smoother and the team found themselves being supported everywhere they went.

The mixed ability of the team meant that the hills were a challenge but reported that one cyclist clocked a top speed of 54mph downhill.

Now back at home the team are hoping a few more donations will come in and are thinking about the potential for another event next year.

"We were good friends before but I think we've got to another level," said Matt, "The camaraderie and bond with the team meant that we were all able to pull each other all the way and help get us through the dark places."

Donations towards the all-weather pitch are being collected at Minety Primary School until September at mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/minety2moet