A London couple are getting married during the Prudential RideLondon cycle event.
Gary Watson, 44, and Lisa Russell, 41, of Raynes Park, will exchange vows at Richmond Park’s Pembroke Lodge along the route.
The couple met while travelling in Australia in 1996, and have completed marathon bike expeditions in Iceland and Norway. Miss Russell said: “It’s all a bit silly, really, we were joking with our friends that we would get married while riding around London if we got a place. It will be a case of doing it as quick as possible and then getting back on the bike and finishing the 100-mile challenge. I don’t really care about my hair being a mess on the day, I’m the sort of person who is happy with it up in a ponytail.”
Their five-year-old daughter Betsy will be at the ceremony with the wedding rings.
Friends plan to meet them on Box Hill with some champagne. Miss Russell added: “We will finish and then just want to go to the pub with friends and family. We just like to have fun and this will certainly be a way to remember things.”
Graphic designer Gary and Lisa, assistant director and expedition leader at The Ultimate Travel Company, are riding in to raise money for and awareness of the Isla Cecil Brighter Future Fund.
Isla, a friend’s daughter, died aged 15 months in November 2012 from a rare brain tumour.
