Paralysed athlete Claire Lomas completes cycle challenge across Britain

A paralysed athlete told today how she was both happy and relieved after completing a gruelling three-week cycling challenge across Britain.

Claire Lomas, 31, drew praise from the Prime Minister and scores of celebrities including former Spice Girl Mel C and football pundit Gary Lineker as she rode across the finish line after completing the race from Leicester to London.

But today she said the mammoth task was made worthwhile thanks to the kids she met along the way.

She said: “It was all worthwhile to see the kids’ faces after I had given a talk and to get a sense that I had inspired them to overcome obstacles in their lives.

“One of my favourite moments was when I visited a school for disabled children near Leicester.

“The look on their faces was amazing.”

Ms Lomas, who has a daughter Maisie, set off from Nottingham in April in an effort to inspire school children while raising funds for Spinal Research and the Nicholls foundation

But the former London Marathon competitor who is paralysed from the neck down following a horse riding accident admitted that the challenge wasn’t all plain sailing.

She said: “It was tough especially during the last week as I had a cold virus and that made both the cycling and speaking very difficult. When I crossed the finish line I was relieved that the challenge had finally come to an end.

“I had a lot of days where I wondered if it was all too much. I’m so glad I made it in the end. The support from everybody has been amazing and I couldn’t have done it without my family and friends.”

Now Ms Lomas hopes to continue her work and continue raising funds for charity. She said: “I now hope that we can reach the £100,000 target to raise funds for the Nichol Foundation – we have already raised £74,000. Now I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and having some time off. I would like to continue speaking in schools, it is very rewarding and also to continue cycling.”

Help Claire break the £100,000 mark and donate via JustTextGiving. Text LEGS60 £3 to 70070.