A team of cyclists from Top 50 Indie Symonds Forecourts has raised more than £40,000 for cancer charities by riding 870 miles in eight days.

The gruelling ride started on the afternoon of September 6 at Lands End and finished in John O’Groats on the morning of September 14, but an unfortunate crash on day two forced Jeremy Symonds, chief executive of Symonds Forecourts, to pull out.

Nick Lloyd (pictured far right), managing director of Symonds Forecourts, who cycled 2,000 miles in training, said: “It was an eventful challenge – Jeremy had a really nasty fall and was thrown off his bike while going about 35mph. He’d gone round a bend onto some gravel and hit a water drain. It’s probably going to take about six weeks for him to recover. He’s in a lot of pain.

“Another member of the team tore a calf muscle – also on day two,” added Nick. “He rode on for another 100 miles but then had to stop. But we had a great team and the generosity of our sponsors has been amazing in these tough times.”

The team has smashed their target of £20,000, raising £15,000 from personal sponsorship and £25,000 from corporate sponsors. Londis and Budgens were their main sponsors. Mars and Cuisine de France also supported the cyclists.

Visit www.verysaddlesore.com to make a donatation.