Cyclists raise £50,000 for Maidenhead community centre with Amsterdam expedition

An intrepid team of cyclists has raised £50,000 for a new community centre in Maidenhead ahead of a gruelling cross-continent challenge.

Thirty-seven riders from The BB Cycling Club are set to head out on a 350-mile expedition from Maidenhead to Amsterdam in the early hours of this morning (Friday).

Along with the five-figure sum raised this trip, the club’s riders have raised more than £150,000 for the Islamic Community Centre being built in Holmanleaze near Maidenhead Mosque.

Shaf Ahmed, 39, one of the cyclists taking on the challenge, said the challenge was a journey ‘into the unknown’.

“There’s a lot of things that could go wrong,” he said. “But I just say to the boys, ‘look, you’ve got to think on your feet’.”

The BBCC during a training session at Box Hill

The BBCC riders completed a colossal 200-mile Maidenhead to Paris cycle last year as part of their fundraising efforts.

But, joined by some new recruits, the Amsterdam ‘Dam Good Ride’ will be a different challenge.

It will see the group travel through England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands amid what weather forecasts predict could be a hot weekend in western Europe.

Shaf said: “It’s going into the unknown, we’ve done two countries – England and France – which is more manageable.

“We only had to catch one ferry, and that was an overnight ferry, but here it’s like we’ve got to race against time.”

The team has ramped up training in the build-up to their journey, including a 100-mile practice ride to Bath as well as ventures closer to home.

Shaf said: “If you were out late in Maidenhead, you’d see a bunch of cyclists with their flashing lights riding around - doing 30 to 40 miles, finishing about one or two o’clock in the morning.

“The guys definitely stepped up and did exactly what we needed to do.”

Preparations were not without their difficulties and highlighted some of the challenges the team are likely to face during their Amsterdam trip.

One practice cycle around Box Hill in Surrey saw some of the group – led my a misguided sat nav – take a wrong turn, at the cost of much extra work.

“When they arrived at Box Hill they weren’t too happy,” Shaf said.

“Everyone else did about 80 miles that day, and they were like ‘well, we’ve done 100 and something miles’.”

Shaf said, knowing the team were cycling for a good cause, would help them push through the tough times on the ride.

Shaf said: “When we had the riots up north – due to misinformation, fake news, whatever you want to call it – the fact was that in Maidenhead we still had a very strong sense of community and I think the important thing there is, it’s all about dialogue.”

He said: “For me, that’s what it [the community centre] is about, it's about bringing the community together, all faiths or none, and having that platform to do it.”

More information about the club can be found on Instagram @the_bbcclub and the fundraiser can be viewed at tinyurl.com/mtu99r7x