OLYMPIC gold medallist James Cracknell last Sunday led 600 cyclists into Land's End to complete their 1,000 mile, nine-day journey from John O'Groats on the inaugural Deloitte Ride Across Britain.

The riders raised £315,996.32 for ParalympicsGB, the event's benefitting charity, having passed through West Devon on the old A30 during their long journey. The group of cyclists also included Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Romero and Paralympic gold medallists Sarah Storey and Jody Cundy.

James Cracknell, co-founder of Threshold Sports, the company behind the event said: 'The inaugural Deloitte Ride Across Britain has been a huge success and to have raised over £300,000 for ParalympicsGB is phenomenal. We're now well on our way to achieving the £1m target over four years.

'The nine days have been an incredible experience and, although it has been challenging, everyone has been in high spirits.

'We're all extremely grateful for the support that we have had, with people cheering us on and helping out at base camps and pit stops. We're all already looking forward to the 2011 event.'

Phil Lane, chief executive of ParalympicsGB said: 'This money will make a massive difference to our preparations for London and I hope they all feel proud to have played their part in 2012. A huge thank you also to Deloitte who have once again demonstrated their commitment to disability sport and to Threshold Sports who have put on a world class event.