Friends cycle 100 miles in memory of Hawks player

A GROUP of cyclists endured bad weather and mechanical failures as they raised money for charity in memory of a former Henley Hawks rugby player.

The nine riders cycled 100 miles from Witney to Twickenham over 14 hours, double the amount of time they expected it to take after suffering punctures.

They raised more than £6,000 for the British Heart Foundation as they battled through strong winds and heavy rain.

The challenge was to mark the third anniversary of the death of their friend David Hyde. The second row forward suffered a fatal cardiac arrest aged 29 after a match at Dry Leas in 2021.

Many of the riders had never ridden further than 20 miles at once and some had to borrow bikes from friends.

They set off from David’s parents’ house in Witney and followed a route that would take them past sites that marked highlights in Hyde’s career.

Chris Chambers, 32, said: “We stopped at Witney Rugby Club, which was half a mile down the road, then the next port of call was Henley Rugby Club. We finished at Twickenham where Dave played a tournament and managed to score a try, which was quite significant for him because he loved rugby. It was quite a nice journey.”

Many of the group had known David from secondary school, while others had met him during sixth form or university. Some travelled from as far as Wales and Birmingham to take part in the challenge.

Jack Lonsdale, 32, who came up with the idea of the ride, said: “It was amazing, it gives me goosebumps. We don’t all live in the same area anymore and people haven’t even really cycled before but as soon as I mentioned the challenge everyone was completely up for it.

“We just get together to have a really good time and it was quite a special day. It was nice to get together and talk about old memories and do something that was quite difficult to show how much the friendship meant to us.”

Rainy weather made for tough conditions on the route, with debris, glass and stones washed up on to the road, making the tyres more susceptible to punctures.

Mr Lonsdale said: “The morning was more misty than raining, then it just got heavier and heavier throughout the day, so we were pretty much just constantly wet throughout the whole day.

“You couldn’t really get too far before you had to pull up and stop because someone had got a tyre puncture or you’d run into some sort of trouble.”

The group had nine punctures in all and a broken chain over the course of the day. The time spent fixing punctures meant that the seven-hour moving time was stretched out into a 14-hour day.

Alex Lewis, 32, said: “The day was very tough with the rain and the wind and all the punctures but I think, doing it as a group of mates, we were just happy and laughing the whole time and just constantly reminding each other why are were doing it as well. It wasn't just a bike ride, it was for Dave.

“One of my friends, Tim, his chain got ripped off his bike somehow, he was just cycling up a hill and just obviously putting a lot of muscle into it. And then the chain didn't just come off the rails, it actually snapped.

“So the bike became completely useless. Couldn't ride it at all. He ended up getting a train from Henley to Windsor, got in touch with a bike shop in Windsor, who then repaired it for him, and then he cycled with us from Windsor onwards.”

Waiting at the finish line to cheer them on was Hyde’s mum Gritte and her friend Wendy, along with family and friends of the cyclists.

Mr Lonsdale said: “We all just kind of broke down and she gave us a hug and she was just super proud of us and really emotional. It meant a lot to her that we all still get together and we’re still thinking of him and still want to do stuff for him.

“We wanted to do something special to show that we still really miss him and we want to keep his name out there. It also just keeps us really close as a group, and it helps us and means a lot to us.

“It's massively important to us to carry on his memory, particularly because his son was only about nine months old when he passed, so he probably won't have any memories of Dave.

“When he passed, we made him a picture book of all the first pictures of us with Dave, just so that he had that and can see what his dad was like growing up. Even though he won't really remember him, he can feel that his dad must have been pretty special if people are willing to do these things years after he has gone.”