Bikers to take on 300-mile trip from Portsmouth to Caen as part of Hayling Cycle Ride to honour Normandy D-Day landings

Bikers will take on the 300-mile trip from Portsmouth to Caen in Normandy this summer which will take them through St Malo, Rennes, Laval to Flers along the Mayenne river, Port en Bessin and Bayeux. They will then cycle back from Portsmouth Ferry Terminal to Hayling Island to complete the feat for good causes as part of the Hayling Cycle Ride.

The charity ride, which lasts five days, has attracted more than 3,000 cyclists since it started in 1986. This year, riders will visit the Normandy museums and beaches to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The event takes place from July6 to 12 and since it started, more than £1.7 million has been raised for charity.

The founder and charity’s president, Peter McQuade MBE, said: “This is the first time we’ve done this route as a total route.

“I’m looking forward to going to places we haven’t been in a few years like Rennes and Laval and the Normandy beaches this year and meeting old friends.

“It’s very important that we capture the D-Day landing beaches where they built the Mulberries. We finish in our official finishing place which will be at the Cafe Gondree (on the Caen Canal).

“This building was liberated in 1944 at the beginning of the Normandy invasion when paratroopers were landed to capture the adjacent Pegasus Bridge.

“The current proprietor Arlette Gondree was a 5-year-old girl living there with her family when members of the British Army’s 6th Airborne Division paid them a welcome visit. She has preserved the café as it was as that time, a truly impressive memorial to the brave Allied Forces.”

Peter hopes to increase recruitment for the charity after 60 cyclists took part last year. Peter added: “We have spaces available. It is something all reasonably fit people can achieve with the right training beforehand.” Riders must be 14 and up to take part, and they can raise money for a charity of their choice. Entrants are encouraged to contribute to the charity collection on the morning of the second day of the ride.

Mr McQuade is calling on cyclists to join the Hayling Cycle Ride event. For information, click here.