‘My legs are still sore!’ Dane Manning ‘repays’ Batley Bulldogs by raising over £3,500 in 220-mile bike ride to London

Manning, who has served four matches of an eight-match suspension after instigating a mass brawl in an 1895 Cup game against Bradford Bulls last month, set off from the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium last Friday, along with friend Mark Flynn, before arriving in the capital in time for Batley’s Championship clash at London Broncos on Saturday.

Speaking a few days after the gruelling challenge, Manning, who had never ridden a road bike before, said:

“My legs are still sore. I enjoyed it but it was hard work. It took me 60 miles to suss the gears out!

“It wasn’t that bad on the Friday when we did 13 hours. But, on the Saturday, it got to 10am and we thought we were flying and that it was all downhill from there.

“But after that we had the wind in our faces for the rest of the day and it was all uphill.”

Saturday, however, was made sweeter with the Bulldogs beating the Broncos in dramatic fashion thanks to Alfie Dean’s very late try.

“It was a right win,” said Manning. “We didn’t play that well and we only had three good ball sets in the second half.

“They got a penalty in the last two minutes but then we went short off the kick off and ended up scoring.”

He added: “I always look down thinking I should be there helping my half-back tackle.”

Asked if this was his way of saying sorry to the club, team-mates and fans following his ban, he replied:

“That’s what I thought from the start. I needed to repay the club for what I have done.”

Will there be more challenges up for the forward’s sleeve? For now, it will be a quiet Easter weekend.

Manning revealed: “I’m having a relaxing weekend with the kids at the caravan this weekend! No exercise, just chilling!”

The pair’s challenge has raised £3,645, which will go towards improving the floodlights at Mount Pleasant.

To donate to Manning’s challenge, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dwqvqy

For more information on Batley’s floodlight appeal, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/batleybulldogs-floodlights-ps30000-appeal