A MAMMOTH cycle ride from Kent to Rome has helped to raise more than £90,000 for the Save Canterbury Cathedral Appeal.

Twenty-seven cyclists embarked on a gruelling 2,000km journey from the Cathedral to the Italian capital in the summer to raise money for a total of 17 charities.

A cheque for £91,885.56 was this week presented to chairman of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust Fund Viscount De L’Isle to help the £50million campaign to save the historic site.

The cycle ride, led by the Cathedral’s treasurer Canon Edward Condry, followed the ancient pilgrimage route the Via Francigena, which run from Canterbury through France, Switzerland and Italy to Rome.

The trip saw riders aged between 16 and 65 brave temperatures ranging from 5 to 46C and climb more than 70,000 feet over the 17 day journey.

The project raised a total of £132,899.81 split between the Cathedral appeal and 16 other local, national and international charities.

Canon Condry said: “It was an experience I’ll never forget and I know that, for many, adjusting to life back home was certainly harder than we expected.”