CHAIN GANG IS 7000 STRONG
MORE than 7000 cyclists got in gear for the nation’s biggest bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh yesterday.
Football pundits Peter Martin and Alan Rough and Transport Minister Humza Yousaf joined the crowds taking part in the Pedal for Scotland event.
Also among those jumping on the saddle was gran Andrea Ritchie, 62, who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Andrea, of Dalry, Ayrshire, got the awful news after signing up for the challenge with her daughter Jane Burke, 42.
But the determined radiology nurse carried on with the gruelling ride in aid of military charity Combat Stress.
Her husband Jim Ritchie, 65, a farmer, said: “I’m just so proud of her. She is absolutely unstoppable. She has had a lot to put up with. She was on the turbo trainer preparing when she got a severe headache.
“A scan revealed she had a bleed in the brain and she must undergo tests. She is still at work but consultants have said she should be off.”
And daughter Jane completed the cycle despite dislocating her shoulder.
Many of those riding alongside Andrea and Jane in the Cycling Scotland event were raising money for charities including the STV Children’s Appeal.
The riders were greeted with cheers as they set off from Glasgow Green. It ended hours later at The Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, with most people pedalling for 45 miles.
Yousaf said he hoped the event would encourage people to keep cycling.
Keith Irving, chief executive of Cycling Scotland, added: “Congratulations to everyone who completed Pedal for Scotland, getting fit and raising money for a great cause.”