CYCLISTS set off from Chagford in atrocious weather conditions last Sunday for an epic 200-mile ride to London.

The cyclists are undertaking the ride as an expression of their passion to reduce the carbon footprint. They aim to reach London, with the minimum of environmental impact, in time to participate in 'The Wave' Climate Change demonstration in London on Saturday, December 5.

The weather was so bad when they set off that all well wishers had to take shelter from the rain. The riders said they were 'fit, enthusiastic and motivated and a bit insane'.

It was originally intended that Yuli Somme, Kesella Scott-Somme and Claire Ash Wheeler would undertake the long journey along the cycle network, but Yuli was suffering from a bad back so Roger Ash Wheeler valiantly agreed to accompany his wife Claire on the 200 mile journey.

Yuli and her daughter Kesella will join the journey later on.

The riders said 'The Wave' was attracting international attention in the run-up to the UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen on December 11.

'We three Chagford residents, apart from making our way to the demo with as low an impact as possible, are also  promoting the Ice Bear Project, an artistic response to global ice melt and its repercussion for the planet,' they said.

The Ice Bear is a bronze skeleton of a bear, frozen, covered in ice, and sculpted, into a beautiful life size polar bear by internationally acclaimed  artist Mark Coreth. The bear will be displayed in Trafalgar Square where passers-by can stroke it, thus accelerating melting — symbolic of human-kind's effect on the planet, they said. The project has the backing of WWF.

Anyone wishing to sponsor the riders can donate to the Ice Bear project directly at http://www.icebearproject.org.uk or">www.icebearproject.org.uk or send a cheque, made payable to The Ice Bear Project, to Kesella Scott-Somme at St Catherine's Cottage, 8 Meldon Road, Chagford, TQ13 8BG.

Sponsorship forms are available in Chagford at Blacks and the Courtyard. The money will go to help raise awareness to mitigate the effect of climate change.

l Chagford cyclists Claire and Roger Ash Wheeler and Yuli Somme are pictured with supporters at the start of their 200-mile ride to London. Picture by Jill Pendleton