As we remember 100 years since the start of World War One, this year’s BLESMA ride follows the launch of the Invictus Games over the summer, which saw 400 injured ex-servicemen from 13 nations compete in a range of sports.

The Games, spearheaded by Prince Harry, aimed to promote spirit in the face of adversity, as well as helping veteran soldiers realise their potential after facing debilitating injuries.

Overall, the event was a huge success, inspired by a string of sporting fixtures of a similar ilk; amongst the most famous of recent years are the Help for Heroes rugby and football matches, which raise money to support services for veterans.

This October, awareness for wounded veterans took to the streets of Cambridge in the form of the BLESMA cycle. In its fourth year of running, 30 riders set off from Woburn Abbey, mounted on hand bikes and adapted cycles.

The route comprised a five day tour around the UK covering over 125 miles, taking in a variety of picturesque sights on the way, including Ely, Oxford, Stowe and Cambridge itself.

The race was completed at the Tower of London, where the exhausted riders were greeted by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at the finish line. BLESMA is a UK-based charity that provides physical and mental rehabilitation for men and women who have either lost limbs or become severely injured during service.

Many of the riders competing have overcome life-changing injuries in order to take part in the race, and it thus marked an important milestone in their journey to recovery.

The event is run in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity based in the US that similarly offers support and relief for injured soldiers. This partnership was a rousing success, creating a lively and banterous Anglo-American spirit.

This was all the more important given the conditions which the cyclists encountered, with rain forecast on most days. The ride to Cambridge was particularly testing, with icy rain en route to Queens’ Backs.

“It’s been a long day” said Bryony Stevens, the BLESMA media and communications officer who helped to co-ordinate the event, “we have rain forecast throughout the week and a lot of the riders are struggling from the cold too.”

Yet despite the inclement conditions, the riders appeared in high spirits when they rolled into Cambridge, and there was certainly an up-beat vibe in the air as they packed up their bikes into the back of the team coach after a hard day on the road and began to tuck into some well-deserved post-ride fuel.

It is precisely this type of enthusiasm and spiritedness that BLESMA, and indeed many other like-minded charities, thrive upon.

As the UK continues to advance its much-needed support for wounded military veterans, the lives of ex-servicemen are seeing drastic improvements, giving them much needed confidence following debilitating injuries incurred through active service.