Brave Laura's ride raises £1,500

The 24-year-old suffered a knee injury midway through the 300-mile journey from London to Paris but battled on to reach the French capital.

Getting to the finishing line as an even more impressive effort after Laura’s bike was stolen just days before she was due to set off, forcing her to find a last-minute replacement.

The trainee accountant, who grew up in Moorgate, admitted that it had taken all her reserves of courage to overcome her injury and make it to Paris.

“I did have a real problem with my knee but I had to carry on,” she said.

“I had such great sponsorship and had done such a lot of training.

“I knew it would be hard but there was great support from all the other riders.”

More than 100 cyclists completed the charity bike ride to support a range of charities.

Laura was raising money for WaterAid, which provides clean drinking water in some of the world’s poorest countries.

“I came across the WaterAid's website towards the end of 2009 and quickly became shocked at the statistics I was reading," she said.

“Lack of clean, safe drinking water and adequate sanitation is a massive killer in the world's poorest countries.

“I realised I took far too much for granted in my life and wanted to give a little back in any way I could.

“Even a few pounds can make a huge difference and mean WaterAid can continue their invaluable work providing safe clean drinking water to those less fortunate than us.”

You can help push Laura towards the £2,000 mark by visiting her online fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/cycleaid.