A great Grape Ride

All for a good cause, Blenheim Constable Glen Richardson recently rode 202km on his old 1937 Raleigh bike.

Glen accepted the challenge of riding the ‘Magnum’ length Grape Ride’, two laps of a 101km Blenheim-based road ride for serious and not-so-serious entrants.

Aside from a good pair of bike shorts and helmet, the old bike was not modified in any way.

Two years ago Glen did one lap in about 3 hours 45 minutes. To ease the pain, he says, he raised money for the Marlborough Hospice via donations and dollars per km.

This year, on 12 April, he completed the 202km ride for the Marlborough Community Hospice in 7 hours and 43 minutes.

Supporters describe Glen’s effort as “fantastic”.

“Most people do one lap on some of the most modern bikes you can imagine,” a work colleague says. “Even on his second lap he was passing riders.”

Glen was the only entrant in his ‘Magnum Old Clanger’ category and can justifiably claim first place.