Friends cycle 100 miles in memory of Hawks player

A team of cyclists faced challenging weather conditions and bike troubles while they collected funds for charity in honor of a former player from the Henley Hawks rugby team.

The nine cyclists traveled 100 miles from Witney to Twickenham in 14 hours, which was twice as long as they had anticipated due to experiencing flat tires.

They collected over £6,000 for the British Heart Foundation while facing fierce winds and pouring rain.

The task was to commemorate the third anniversary of their friend David Hyde's passing. The second-row player tragically experienced a heart attack at the age of 29 following a game at Dry Leas in 2021.

Most of the cyclists had never biked more than 20 miles in one go, and some needed to borrow bicycles from their friends.

They departed from David's parents' home in Witney and chose a path that would lead them by locations significant to Hyde's career milestones.

Chris Chambers, 32, shared, "We made a stop at Witney Rugby Club, which was just half a mile away, before heading to Henley Rugby Club. Our final destination was Twickenham, where Dave participated in a tournament and even scored a try. That was a big deal for him since he's passionate about rugby. Overall, it was a lovely trip."

Several members of the group had been friends with David since their secondary school days, while others got to know him during their sixth form or at university. Some even journeyed from as far away as Wales and Birmingham to join in on the challenge.

Jack Lonsdale, 32, the person behind the concept of the ride, expressed his excitement: “It was incredible; it gave me chills. We might not all be from the same neighborhood anymore, and many hadn’t even tried cycling before, but the moment I brought up the challenge, everyone was eager to participate.”

"We gathered to enjoy ourselves, and it turned out to be a truly memorable day. It was great to reconnect, share stories from the past, and engage in a challenging activity that highlighted the depth of our friendship."

The rainy weather created challenging circumstances on the route, as debris, shards of glass, and stones were swept onto the road, increasing the likelihood of tire punctures.

Mr. Lonsdale remarked, "The morning started off with more fog than actual rain, but as the day went on, the rain steadily intensified. By the end, we were essentially soaked the entire day."

You didn't make it very far before having to stop because either someone had a flat tire or you'd encountered some kind of issue.

Throughout the day, the group dealt with nine flat tires and a broken chain. All the time spent repairing these issues turned what should have been a seven-hour trip into a lengthy 14-hour ordeal.

Alex Lewis, 32, shared, “The day was quite challenging with the rain, wind, and all the flat tires. However, since we were doing it as a group of friends, we kept smiling and joking throughout the ride, always reminding one another of our purpose. It wasn't just a bike ride; it was in honor of Dave.”

A friend of mine, Tim, had an issue while riding his bike. He was pedaling up a hill and really pushing himself when, unexpectedly, his bike chain broke instead of just slipping off the gears.

"The bike was rendered completely unusable, making it impossible to ride. He ended up taking a train from Henley to Windsor, where he contacted a bike shop that took care of the repairs. After that, he joined us on our bike ride starting from Windsor."

At the finish line, Hyde's mother Gritte and her friend Wendy were eagerly waiting to celebrate the cyclists' achievements, joined by family and friends who came to support them.

Mr. Lonsdale mentioned, "We all sort of lost it emotionally, and she embraced us, clearly overwhelmed with pride and feelings. It really touched her that we continue to gather and keep him in our thoughts, showing our desire to honor him."

"We wanted to create something meaningful to express how much we still miss him and to keep his memory alive. It also brings us closer together as a group, and it holds great significance for all of us."

Keeping his memory alive is incredibly significant for us, especially since his son was only around nine months old when he left us, meaning he likely won’t have any recollections of Dave.

“When he initially left us, we created a photo book filled with all the early pictures of Dave and us, so he could have something to look at and understand what his dad was like during his childhood. Although he may not have any real memories of him, he can sense how special his dad was by the effort people have made to honor him even after so much time has passed.”