IT is a gruelling 112-mile race that sees more than 1,000 cyclists climb Britain’s steepest road and conquer 12 of the Lake District’s toughest passes – and now these four fundraisers from York can say they have survived it.

Nick Harmer, 35, Richard Harrison, 37, Steph Fountain, 35, and Paul Crane, 43, have all completed the punishing Fred Whitton Challenge – raising more than £2,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The four friends, all members of Clifton Cycling Club, climbed a total of 12,500ft during the race, which included gradients of 35 per cent, twisting roads and hairpin bends.

Nick, a food chemist at the Central Science Laboratory, in Sand Hutton, near York, and who lives in The Groves, stormed through the course, finishing in six hours and 15 minutes, crossing the line in a 15th place.

Also finishing high up the field was Richard, who just dipped under the seven-hour barrier, finishing in 97th place.

“When you get to 100 miles, you hit the bottom of Hardknott – the steepest road in the UK,” he said. “I knew it was coming up and I was fairly exhausted by the time I got there, but they always say it’s in your head and not your legs, and I knew I was able to manage it.

“To be classed as an elite rider you have to finish in less than seven hours and I knew exactly where I had to be at different parts of the course if I wanted to break seven hours.

“As I was going up Hardknott I was on for exactly seven hours and I thought I’d blown it, but I just went for it over the last few miles and was going 60km per hour down the final descent – even though there was a hail storm. It was quite an emotional day, because we’d been training so hard for it and there was so much pressure to get a good time – but we were all really pleased.”

Richard, of Huntington Road, said they had all been granted free entry to next year’s race because of the huge amount they had raised for charity. He said: “As a pharmacist, I have a lot of contact with Macmillan nurses and they do a tremendous job supporting cancer patients and their families during what is a very difficult time.”

If you would like to sponsor the riders, visit their online fundraising page at justgiving.com/richardharrison2009