Students make motorway mishap during charity cycle ride en route to Paris

Alexia Ganotaki

Tom Leaney, 21, said: “We didn’t plan at all. The only thing we planned was the ferry. We just followed signs to Paris, we didn’t have a clue where we were going as we ended up cycling 40 miles out of our way and ended up on the motorway.

“The police found us and gave us a list of villages to go through to get to Paris. It was really rewarding when we were finally outside the Eiffel Tower, it felt like an achievement.”

The rugby boys set off at 4am on the October 29 with the University’s cycling society and the Kingston Cougar following them to Newhaven, Brighton to lead them out.

The participating students chose Momentum as they found it was a good cause for terminally ill children and it was local.

The raised funds went towards the £20,000 project of The Complete Renovation and Refurbishment of Children’s Outpatients at Kingston Hospital.

The project will be finished by the end of January and will benefit 10,000 children that pass through the busy department each year.

The boys want to continue collaborating and have been invited to the opening of the new Pediatric Ward in January. They will organise another fundraiser during Easter 2013.