ONE year to the day since his life was almost cut short an Ulverston cyclist celebrated in triumph as he charged through the finish line of a coast to coast ride.

In July 2017 Jack Talbot's life hung in the balance after he was smashed from his bike in a hit an run just minutes from his home in Ulverston.

After a gruelling and painful recovery Mr Talbot pledged himself to raising money for the Great North Air Ambulance, the organisation which ensured he would live to ride once more.

On a chilly morning last week a group of dozens of cyclists set off from Walney at 4am pedalling the first few feet of a journey which would take them 150 miles to the mouth of the River Tyne, in Newcastle.

More than 14 hours later the riders wheeled the way over the line, elated at the colossal feat of physical endurance they had completed.

Mr Talbot said: "I think one thing any cyclist will tell you, once a cyclist always a cyclist. I knew I wanted to get back to it because I love it.

"Without the support of my family I couldn't have gotten to this point."

The route taken by the 28-strong group, riding in two teams, took on some incredibly tough terrain.

The unforgiving hills of east Cumbria and North Yorkshire provided a still challenge to the riders.

But it was this challenge which Mr Talbot rose to. Monitoring his progress on fitness app Strava, he learned his progress up the 500m Tan Hill in North Yorkshire was the 23rd best in the country. A feat he never could of achieved were it not for the exceptional care of the air ambulance and medical staff through his recovery.

He said: "To go from last year to being 23rd... I can't even put it into words.

"It is a testament to the services that are out there. Not just the air ambulance, but the major trauma unit at Preston. Everything was done has it should have been done, when it should have been done. I would not be alive without it."

He added his gratitude to the Leigh Day legal team who represented him at the trial of John Edward Burns, the "cowardly" driver who left him for dead, and to Torque Nurtrition, who supplied the team with food during the ride.

After more than 14 hours on the road, and 9.52 of which were spend riding the bikes, Mr Talbot arrived in Newcastle after riding 152 miles, climbing 10,000ft and averaging a speed of 15.4mph.

The crowdfunding page is still open, with the combined total of all Mr Talbot's fundraising schemes hovering close to £5,000.

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Grahame Pickering MBE, chief executive of GNAAS, said: “Last year Jack was in a serious collision and had to be put into a medically-induced coma by the GNAAS paramedic and doctor team.

"It’s remarkable to see the progress he has made since the crash and we’re incredibly proud of his fundraising efforts. We’d like to thank Jack and the rest of his cycling team for tackling the coast to coast ride from Walney to Wallsend, in Newcastle and raising more than £3,000 for GNAAS.

"This money will be help us continue to deliver life-saving pre-hospital care across the region."

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Mr Talbot sent out his thanks to the local businesses who supported his fundraising endeavour. They were:

Emlyn Street Tyres

Regal MOT

Roosecote Service Station

Lloyds Motor Services

Cumbria Car Centre

Freelance Mechanics

Athersmith Motor Services

Crooklands Autobody

Cartech Auto Services Ltd

Cumbria Tyres Ltd

Little Tony's Tyre Shop