INTREPID cyclists from Bolton tackled treacherous ravines in a scorching desert - to buy life-saving machinery for the region's ambulances.

The band of local pedal-pushers joined cyclists from across Greater Manchester in a mammoth 190-mile ride from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea in Israel.

The adventure of a lifetime has already chalked up £120,000 for CHAT - the Children's Hospitals Appeal Trust.

Paramedics joined the bikers alongside veteran cycling enthusiast Jim Hall from Egerton, better known for his walking and cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats.

"It was definitely an experience not to be missed," Jim explained. "Everything ran like clockwork."

However, one Bolton cyclist, Mike Exton, was rushed to hospital after crashing down a steep ravine in the desert - close to the Israeli town of Roam.

Jim explained: "The terrain was pretty tough going - but what the participants lacked in experience they more than made up for in enthusiasm.

"But one incident frightened the team a little bit. One of the riders went too fast down a steep ravine and slipped and came straight down on his ribs.

"Luckily there were two doctors as part of the team. They thought he had broken his ribs and we had to call an ambulance.

"They kept him in the Roam hospital overnight, but he was able to carry on as normal the next day."

Another Bolton cyclist, Steve Wolfenden, also discovered he had cracked ribs after taking a tumble.

"He only realised when he had got home and visited the doctor complaining of sore ribs," Jim explained.

Despite the minor setbacks, the trip is being hailed a success and the cyclists are having a get-together at the Manchester Velodrome on March 27.

Those interested in taking part in future CHAT challenges - including the Kenyan Corkscrew in September or the Millennium Odyssey in March 2000 - are invited to go along at 7pm.

A CHAT gala dinner will be staged at Lancashire Cricket Club on April 8 when a celebrity will present a bike to the cyclists who raised the most cash in the Israel dash.

A documentary of the event has been recorded on video and is soon to be released, with funds going towards the charity.

All cash will be used to help equip ambulances in the area with life-saving machinery for children.

Donations to the Children's Ambulance Appeal Red Sea to the Dead Sea Bike Ride, account number 1061115, can still be made at the Lloyds Bank, Deansgate, Bolton, until the end of the month.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.