CYCLISTS headed off on a gruelling ride from the Galpharm to Brighton.
Some 180 riders – including Town chairman Dean Hoyle and club legend Andy Booth – set off on the four-day journey yesterday morning.
The cyclists are raising tens of thousands of pounds which will be split between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Huddersfield Town’s academy.
The group hope to arrive in Brighton on Saturday in time to see Town take on the League 1 champions in a vital promotion game.
Click here to be taken to our special Pedal for Pounds 2 section where you can track the riders live and send them messages via Twitter.Dean and 22 others rode from the Galpharm to Southend for the first game of last season, raising £52,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
The Town chairman was delighted to see eight times as many people preparing to take part in this year’s fundraiser.
Dean said: “It’s a much bigger event this year and we’re hoping to raise up to £250,000.
“It’s great that there are 180 cyclists doing their bit for the community. Seeing all those blue and white stripes down in Brighton will be a proud moment.
“I think it shows the enthusiasm which people in Kirklees have for the football club and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”
Dean added: “I’m a bit apprehensive about the ride – I think we’ve all forgotten about the pain of getting to Southend!”
Town legend Andy Booth was one of the other riders who took part in the original cycle last year.
The retired striker said: “I remember after Southend saying that I would never get on a bike again.
“I’ve done about 10 miles since then but I’ve been training in the gym as well. Hopefully I’ll be fine once we get out of Yorkshire and on to flatter ground.”
Examiner multi-media desk editor Graham Brown was among the riders travelling the 75 miles to Nottingham yesterday.
He said last night at the end of the first day’s ride that the journey was going well – despite a couple of unexpected hitches.
The 55-year-old from Wooldale said: “We took one or two wrong turns which added eight miles onto our day which we could have down without.
“But it’s not been too bad. There’s a good atmosphere and everyone seems to be doing quite well.
“Everyone was glad to get to the hotel and head to the restaurant.
“My knees are aching a bit at the moment but hopefully I won’t be too bad when we set off again.”
Graham, a lifelong Town fan, added: “I think we’ll win 2-1 down there on Saturday.”
