Six intrepid coaches swapped their football boots for cycling shorts on Sunday in order to raise money for their Dovery Down School team.
A week before the club hosts its annual tournament, the six coaches cycled 60 miles from Wembley Stadium in London back to Leighton to raise just short of £1,000 for the team.
The Dovery Down club was formed in 1998 and is run by eight volunteer coaches, with children from all years able to enjoy training sessions on Saturdays, plus a number of inter-school tournaments in the summer term, including this Saturday’s competition at the school on Heath Road.
Other schools taking part include Pulfords, Linslade, St Georges and Southcott, with sides from reception year up to Year 4 playing for trophies.
The six brave cyclists used the path of the Grand Union Canal to navigate their route back to town – and one of their number got a bit too up close and personal with the water.
Marcus Feinhols, pictured above with Martin Carmody, Paul Verney, James Hunt, Phil Birdseye and Dale Stillman, took a dip in the canal thanks to the bumpy path and had to be fished out by his friends.
It didn’t dampen the mood though as the six returned to the school in six hours, which included around an hour and a half of breaks.
“There were parents and players waiting for us back at the school, which was really nice,” said Dale, who came up with the idea of cycling from the national stadium to raise money to buy new kits, balls and training equipment.
“There were certainly a few aches and pains when we got back, but it was totally worth the effort.”