Shropshire cyclist completes Ride Across Britain in 'experience beyond anything' she could imagine

Lisa Lander, originally from Newport and now living in the village of Tibberton, spent nine days with more than 800 cyclists travelling from Lands End to John O'Groats raising funds for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation - founded by the late Scottish international rugby player, Doddie Weir who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) in 2017.

The final leg of the ride that began on Saturday, September 7 was extra special for the now 52-year-old who finished the ride on her birthday on September 15 after spending eight nights camping in tents with sleeping bags at each stage.

Babble's Ride Across Britain began on the south coast before heading to Bath and through Shropshire towards the north of England and up to Scotland, and one of the stages ended close to home for Lisa as the charity ride stopped off in Ludlow for the end of stage three.

The Shropshire cyclist hit her fundraising target of £2,500 as Babble aims to raise £250,000 in total from their Ride Across Britain event, and had the time of her life on what Lisa previously described as her "bucket list" ride.

"It was the most amazing experience of my life," said the 52-year-old. "I so want to do it again, in fact I was more than happy to cycle back if they would have let me.

"It has been an experience beyond anything I could imagine, the training turned out to be the easiest thing. Don't get me wrong you have to train hard however, the journey is so much more.

"The people you meet are so inspiring and the bubble your in you almost forget the outside world as you become consumed in your mission to travel up the country to help these charities.

"It truly is life affirming and the team of people helping us achieve this goal truly make the experience enjoyable."

Lisa was well-prepared for the lengthy cycle after her two previous experiences of riding from London to Paris for charity - raising money for Diabetes UK after her son was diagnosed with type one diabetes.

But, during the Ride Across Britain, Lisa and fellow riders battled extreme weather conditions along the way including strong winds, rain showers, sleet and hypothermia. Lisa says the ride was almost stopped on day three due to the low temperatures which posed a threat to the cyclists.

However, the charity ride went on as Lisa and 800 others woke up at around 4am each day before setting off for their stage while the camp was moved by organisers.

Lisa added: "They do a wonderful job transporting the whole site for 800 people. There's catering, showers, toilets medical rooms, stretching tents. It's moved every day with you and set up for when you get there.

"It's a magnificent feat.

"On the Friday (September 13) morning we woke up with frost on our tent. It was all new to me, but I wouldn't change it for the world, that was what made the bonding happen between riders to support each other in one goal to get from one end of the country to the other, safely and successfully."