PEDAL PAXTON: Two friends from neighbouring villages were among thousands of cyclists to take part in the first Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100.

Steve Jones, from Great Paxton, and Jon Jones, from Little Paxton, took just more than seven hours to complete the 100-mile course, raising more than £1,300 for Asthma UK.

Starting from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, riders headed out of the capital to the Surrey hills before returning into London and finishing on The Mall.

“The best bit for me was going along the River Thames and turning up towards Trafalgar Square,” said Steve, 54, who is married with three children. “There were still thousands of people there cheering everyone on. The crowds around the whole route were fantastic.

“The worst bit was Leith Hill. It was after 55 miles and we’d had a pretty stiff head-wind going out.”

Steve said they decided to take on the challenge to raise money for a charity dear to their hearts. “I am a seasonal asthmatic and Jon has a son who is asthmatic.”