A TEAM of Allen Valley cyclists rode on the famous Champs Elysees in Paris a day before Geraint Thomas won the Tour de France.

Six members of the Allen Valley Velo Club were cheered on by the crowds as they approached the Eiffel Tower on Saturday.

Their taste of the Tour de France's grand finale was the fitting climax to a gruelling four-day cycle ride from London Paris, in which they raised £5,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.

"It's one of the best feelings ever," said cyclist Joanna Hutton, "it will remain with us forever.

"We rode as part of a peloton on the Champs Elysees, and there were car horns tooting and crowds cheering.

"We are big fans of Geraint Thomas, so to stay overnight and be there on the day he won was extra special."

Joanna was joined on the journey by Sue Bell, Rose Todhunter,Tom Stephenson, Jan Oliver, and Stuart Marshall.

They were among 150 riders who took part in the London to Paris ride, in aid of the Alzheimer's Society.

They cycled from Blackheath Common to Dover last Wednesday, before taking the overnight ferry to Calais.

The following day's ride to Arras and enabled them to make a poignant visit to the Theipval Memorial, to pay tribute to those sacrificed in the Battle of the Somme, during the First World War.

Joanna added: "We cycled in supremely hot temperatures, sometimes it was more than 40c. The first three days were 80-mile rides, and the fourth was 60-miles.

"It was very hard work, but we started training in the spring and it was all absolutely worth it."

The Allen Valley Velo Club members chose to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society because some have experienced dementia within their own families.

Their fund-raising included home baking, cake stalls, and coffee mornings, as well as other events.

Each rider has set up individual fundraising pages at justgiving.com