Mumps to Malaga ride raises £11,000

A BIKE rise from Mumps to Malaga, with a few bumps on the way for local cyclist Colin Stuttard, has raised £11,000 for charity.

The local businessman, owner of Stamford Heating, completed the ride in 29 days and covered 1,785 miles in aid of the Dame Vera Lynn Trust for children with cerebral palsy.

The charity runs a school where his two-year-old grandson, Adam, who has cerebral palsy, is learning to move and interact on a one-to-one basis with staff.

He had company from Oldham to Dover, but once in France he rode on his own to his holiday home in Spain.

Mr Stuttard, who travelled via Bordeaux, southern France, the Cantabrian mountains and Madrid, said: “It was very memorable, although I was a bit tender when I finished.

“It rained most of the time in France, so I was wet through every day, but it got very hot in Spain and near Madrid and Cordoba it reached 105 degrees.

“I also had to cycle 11 miles uphill in the Pyrenees, so that was a bit of a toil.

“At one point in France I got lost and by lunchtime I was 15 miles further north than when I started.

“I had to turn round and cycle for one and a half hours back.

“And I had an accident in one of the villages when I fell off my bike and ended up sitting in a fruit and veg stall.

“When I got to Malaga, a Spanish radio and TV crew was there, and they did an on- air interview in Spanish.

“When I went to the post office the next day they recognised my name and said they had heard me being broadcast. The whole thing was a brilliant experience. When you have just finished you are glad it’s over, but I really enjoyed it.”