Bench to commemorate cyclist who died during last year's RideLondon-Surrey 100

Cyclist Kris Cook, who died of a heart attack during last year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 event, is to be commemorated with a bench dedicated to his memory.

The 36-year-old from Woking was riding the event with his girlfriend Nicola Tait and a group of friends when he went into cardiac arrest on a steep climb at Newlands Corner, just after the halfway point on the ride, whuich had been shortened due to the weather.

The bench will be installed at Goldsworth Park Lake and will also bear the name of Pete Oldfield, described as a friend and father figure to Mr Cook, reports Get Surrey.

Mr Oldfield, who died of a stroke in 2010, founded the Woking Water Activity Centre at the park, with Mr Cook attending the facility between the ages of eight and 16.

According to his family, there had been plans to mark Mr Oldfield with a bench at that location after his death, but it was never installed. Now, however, both he and Mr Cook will be commemorated.

Mr Cook’s mother Sue told Get Surrey: “I absolutely believe that the bond Pete Oldfield and Kris had, the everlasting friendships and the lake experiences, absolutely contributed and shaped Kris into the caring young man he became.

“Kris helped young people and raised money in life, and still continues to do so in death.

“The family and friends at Woking Water Activity Centre felt it was appropriate after Kris’s death that his name was also added to the bench, which was really intended for Pete, as a mark of respect of the time spent on the lake,” she added.

Mr Cook had hoped to raise £500 for Woking Hospice, but following his death donations poured in and his target on Just Giving has been beaten one hundred times over, reaching over £50,000.

On the weekend after his death last August, more than 300 cyclist gathered at Newlands Corner to stage a ride in his memory.