MORE THAN 120 people took part in the annual Wantage to Winchester cycle ride.

The riders enjoyed fine weather but welcomed the refreshment stops along the route from the birthplace of King Alfred the Great to his final resting place at Hyde Abbey Garden.

They were welcomed home by the mayor Eileen Berry before retiring to the nearby King Alfred pub for a meal.

The event, on Sunday, July 20, is organised every year by Hyde 900 community group. The route along beautiful minor roads and via the Bourne Valley was devised by Hyde resident Andy Key.

The 53-mile ride celebrates King Alfred the Great (849-899) who first united the territory that became modern England.

His burial place in the now vanished Hyde Abbey was featured in the January 2014 BBC2 documentary The Search for Alfred the Great, in which Hyde900 took part.