ALTHOUGH the rain held off on Sunday morning for the hundreds of cyclists taking part in the 22nd LiDBA charity bike ride, numbers were down on last year.

Only 875 adult riders took to the roads to complete the 25-mile ride compared with 1,136 in 2011.

The number of junior riders was also down to 101 from 170 12 months ago.

Organisers believe the drop was due to unpredictable weather conditions on the day, a delayed jubilee school half-term holiday, and the 'no helmet no ride' rule.

But organisers still hope to raise around £50,000.

For full story and pictures, see this week's Liphook Herald.