Cyclists ride 120 miles between football stadiums for Sheffield charity

The event saw cyclists riding from Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium to Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium in aid of RideforEric, a charity set up after cyclist Eric Codling was killed by a drunk driver while he was riding along Whirlowdale Road in November 2013.

Eric, a father-of-two from Millhouses, was a Boro fan.

The ride was organised by James Allen from Sheffield College as part of the Uniformed Public Services course, in partnership with Sheffield Wednesday’s Community Programme.

As well as raising money, the charity ride was aimed at raising awareness of cycling safety.

Eric’s wife, Karen, said: “Eric, like thousands of people around the country, loved cycling and, although the pain of the tragic events that led to his death remains, it’s rewarding to see how many people we’ve supporting over the last few years.

“It has also enabled us to run the Hills2Boro event, which was borne from me being a Sheffield Wednesday fan and Eric supporting ‘the Boro’.

“He once proudly cycled from one destination to the other in a single day and this memory gave me the inspiration for the ride.”

Among those who took part in a section of the ride were members of staff from Hill Care, which operates care homes in Sheffield and Middlesbrough and was an event sponsor.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, sportswear retailer Decathlon and events company VeryCreative also sponsored the event.