Woman whose boyfriend died during last year's RideLondon 100 to ride this year's event in his memory

A woman whose boyfriend died when they were both taking part in last year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 will ride the event again this August to raise money for a charity that aims to help identify underlying heart conditions in young people.

Kris Cook, aged 36, died of an undiagnosed heart condition shortly after collapsing on Newlands Hill.

That was the only climb on the shortened route following the exclusion of Box Hill and Leith Hill due to poor weather caused by the tail of Hurricane Bertha hitting southern England.

Nicola Tait and Lucy Parker, who rode with her and Kris last year, are aiming to raise £20,000 for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young.

On her fundraising page on Just Giving, Nicola says: “Last year’s race changed me forever, as Kris died of a Cardiac Arrest on Newland's Corner in front of me, due to an unknown heart condition.

“This ripped my heart into two as there was nothing I could do to save him. Life has been undeniable hard without Kris, he was so special to me.

“I have vowed in his memory along with Lucy Parker to re-ride the race again & for us to complete the race as we were supposed to do last year on the 10th of August 2014. This was one of Kris’s wishes for all of us last year, so we are going to do it again.”

She told road.cc: “As you can imagine having to do this again is emotionally challenging and the fear when riding always stays with me.”

The weekend after Kris’s death, around 300 cyclists rode up Newlands Hill in his memory.

Nicola added: “The cycling community were extremely supportive when Kris died and still cyclists who go up Newlands salute him at the top as they climb it.”