Charity cyclists finish Western Front Way challenge
BBC
The cyclists were greeted by their support crew near the seafront at Nieuwpoort
A team of cyclists have completed their 1,000km (600 miles) trip through the World War One battlefields of France and Belgium.
Team Blind Dave, an eight-man group led by blind fundraiser Dave Heeley from West Bromwich, set off from the French-Swiss border on Saturday and completed the cycling marathon on Friday evening.
After three glorious days of weather, the riders faced torrential rain, bitter winds and muddy conditions in the days leading up to their arrival on the Belgian coast.
"Blind Dave" and former West Bromwich Albion defender Paul Mardon took Harold Bache's cap to the Commonwealth War Graves centre next to the Menin Gate at Ypres
Mr Heeley, who's universally known as "Blind Dave", and rode a tandem, said: "It's been an incredible challenge.
"At some points, it was simply impossible to ride our bikes due to the mud and we encountered many sections that were rocky surfaces, so very difficult to ride on."
He paid tribute to his fellow cyclists who were all raising money for the Albion Foundation, the charitable arm of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.
"It's been an amazing experience for us all and I'm so proud of the lads and so thankful to them for supporting the challenge.
"And there are no words really to describe what it's been like this week visiting all these immaculate cemeteries with so many soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice."
Mark Green, Paul Mardon, Steve Meeson, Alan Carmichael, Dave Heeley, Steve Dugmore and Jonathan Ward were joined on the challenge by fellow cyclist Con Cunningham
The cyclists visited the Australian memorial at Villers-Bretonneux
The ride was Mr Heeley's first European cycling challenge since two replacement knee operations after his Escape from Colditz ride in April 2022
Con Cunningham completed the ride with Team Blind Dave at the age of 71
On Friday, the cyclists visited four war cemeteries starting with sunrise at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
The team placed remembrance crosses at the base of the memorial. More than 66,000 Canadians never returned from the First World War and 172,000 were wounded
At the Dud Corner Cemetery, Team Blind Dave found the inscription of Douglas Gillespie, the Scottish soldier who became the inspiration for the creation of the Western Front Way
Team Blind Dave remembered the sacrifice that Indian soldiers made when they visited Neuve Chapelle Indian Memorial, south west of Lille
By Friday lunchtime, the cyclists had moved on to Ploegsteert Memorial which commemorates more than 11,000 UK and South African servicemen who died in the area during the First World War and have no known grave
The cyclists planted remembrance crosses in the middle of the memorial
Team Blind Dave laid a wreath at the Menin Gate in Ypres, which is currently undergoing renovation work
"We've taken a tandem bicycle along routes that a tandem shouldn't be seen on and it's been an incredibly emotional week," Mr Heeley said
BBC
