They were accompanied on the last leg by runners taking part in the JV Half Marathon from Somerset County Cricket Club to Bridgwater and welcomed home from their epic five-day cycle ride with a family fun day at the club.
Between them they’re now nearing a massive £10,000 raised towards our ongoing lifesaving and life-changing work fighting back against meningitis.
It’s all in memory of Josh Vickery, a friend of theirs and stalwart of Bridgwater Cricket Club, who died suddenly three years’ ago in August 2021 after contracting meningitis, at the age of 40.
Massive shock
The bike ride was organised by Josh’s friend Mike Coles. Recounting their adventure to BBC Radio Somerset he said: “Josh was a great guy, the life and soul of the party. He was the ideal friend, family man, husband and brother. It was a massive shock to everybody, in his family most importantly but also all of his friendship circle and everybody at Bridgwater Cricket Club when he died so quickly from meningitis.
“Obviously you want to be there to support the family, but equally it's an opportunity to raise awareness of this disease. If we have more understanding of meningitis and what we're looking for, then there might be a possibility that we can beat it.”
The group of 14 cyclists plus a support team of three flew out to Paris the previous Sunday and set off from there the next day. They spent two days cycling across France to Dieppe, where they caught a ferry to Newhaven and then on to Brighton
Rekindle memories
“Brighton was quite a poignant place for us,” Mike said “because quite a lot of us went on Josh’s stag do there. It was a nice place for us to base ourselves for a night and go out and have a couple of beers and a meal and rekindle a few memories.”
This was followed by a few long days cycling from Brighton to Winchester, Winchester to the Oval, and then finally on Saturday back to Bridgwater.
“All of us went on a massive emotional roller coaster throughout the week,” Mike added. “One of our guys kindly got a small photo of Josh laminated, and we put that onto our bike frames. So, when the going got tough and in those hard moments, we were able to look down and see Josh. There were times when perhaps we were cursing him for putting us in this situation but overall it spurred us on too, knowing who we were doing this for and why.
“It was a huge relief to get back and meet family and friends on Saturday and have a nice gathering and, more importantly, raise further awareness.”
Brilliant effort
Kat Hollywell, our Fundraising Officer, said: “Thank you so much Mike and everyone who took part in this year’s Cycle for the Vicar and those who supported your efforts. We’re pleased to hear that despite a few punctures you’re all back safe and well.
“What a brilliant fundraising result you achieved too. This will make a real difference to our ongoing work fighting back against meningitis, helping us to raise awareness and support those who have been affected by it by enabling us to be here for everyone who needs us. Thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do.”
It’s not too late to donate to the group’s fundraising efforts. If you’d like to do so please visit their GoFundMe page.
