About 30 women took part in Tamworth Cycle Club’s Chicks on Bikes 100 event and the club’s women’s development office Pip Ash said every single person finished the race.

“We had at least 10 women that had never rode that far before,” Ms Ash said.

“It’s a great achievement for everyone, but in particular those women who had never done it before.”

The ride was held in memory of Tamworth Cycle Club member Richard Wise, who passed away almost a year ago.

“Last year’s ride was the first of its kind in the region, and Richard was the first person to put his hand up and cover the cost of last year’s event,” Ms Ash said.

“Since his passing, as a club we wanted to run the event again in memory of Richard. He was a very valuable member of our club and very much in favour of women getting involved in cycling.

“Riding in his memory was the least we could do to pay our respects.

“Some of his family members came down this morning to see us off, so it was really special and lovely to have them involved.”

Starting from Hopscotch Cafe near Bicentennial Park in Tamworth, the group headed out along Wallamore Road before making their way over to Moore Creek via Davidsons Lane. They then tackled the hilly Daruka Road, following it out to Kootingal, before circling back towards town and taking Nundle Road out to Dungowan.

“The Daruka hill really put a few people to the test,” Ms Ash said.

“We kept the same route as last year. We wanted to ensure that it was not only achievable but safe for all participants.”

The epic journey finally ended at Hopscotch.

The event has had a noticeable increase on the club’s female membership, which has more than tripled in just over a year.

Ms Ash said she was already looking forward to planning next year’s ride.

“We’ve had no discussions as of yet, but we are definitely keen to keep it up,” she said.

“The proof is in the pudding. We’ve seen a huge spike in our female members and there are plenty of new faces popping up, so it’s proving to grow the sport.”

The ride is a “fantastic introduction” to the club’s cycling festival in September.

“Hopefully after today’s ride, the women have seen part of the course and realised it’s not so daunting,” Ms Ash said.

“Also, a big thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers, without whom we wouldn’t be able to run such a successful event.”