On Sunday 15 June, the wheels were in motion for our inaugural cycle challenge: Ride of Champions.

The challenge: 100 miles on a bike.

The course: Winchester – Isle of Wight – New Forest – Winchester.

The cause: Operation Airbase: a £3.6 million relocation appeal.

The breathtaking coastal journey from Winchester to the Isle of Wight and back up to the finish line in Winchester was an enormous success. In total, our riders have so far raised almost £15,000 towards our Operation Airbase appeal.

Setting off under blue skies from Sparsholt College at 8am, every mile completed brought us closer to our goal – helping to improve response times to the large majority of our patients.

One of those patients was Felix Barrow, who we responded to when he was hit by a car outside his home in 2015. He had a severe head injury and was put into an induced coma.

Today, thanks to his incredible determination, Felix is part of the British Para-cycling team.

Between his busy racing schedule, Felix joined the team on the start line and accompanied them on the first leg to Southampton.

Events Fundraiser, Nicole Davies, said:

“It was such an incredible day – particularly as it was the first long-distance cycle challenge we’ve hosted. Our heartfelt thanks go to every cyclist, volunteer, sponsor and supporter who made Ride of Champions such a success.”

Special thanks to Griffon Marine Ltd and Parker Bullen LLP for sponsoring our feed stops, to our charity partner Red Funnel for providing complimentary ferry travel to the Island and to Wightlink for supporting our riders’ return journey.

A big thanks also goes to Velo Care and Beespoke Bicycle Care for keeping our riders rolling with their brilliant mechanic support.

You can still support the riders by visiting their fundraising page.