A RECORD number of cyclists took part in the British Heart Founda-tion’s 11th annual London-to-Southend bike ride.

Almost 5,000 people completed the 58-mile ride, from Victoria Park, in Tower Hamlets, to Priory Park, in Southend, in hot weather yesterday.

Determined cyclists, some wearing fancy dress, pedalled through the sun-covered back lanes and villages of south Essex to raise thousands of pounds.

This year, the British Heart Foundation hopes it has raised more than £150,000 for the fight against heart disease – about £30,000 more than last year’s total.