MORE than 100 people have cycled from Lockerbie to Edinburgh as part of a 3238-mile journey to mark the approaching 30th anniversary of the bombing.

Pan Am flight 103 from London to New York exploded above Lockerbie on the evening of December 21 1988, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground. Thirty-five passengers were students from Syracuse University, who were travelling home for Christmas.

The Cycle To Syracuse challenge has seen cyclists covering the distance from Lockerbie Academy to the New York city, some 3238 miles, with the distance cycled totalling 672 miles.

Lockerbie pupils have been riding exercise bikes or their own bike at school, followed by the 100 people taking part in the Lockerbie to Edinburgh bike ride.

A group of five local cyclists will now travel on to the US to complete the last leg of the journey.

David Mundell MP welcomed around 100 cyclists to the capital at a reception at Edinburgh Castle yesterday.

He said: “As we approach the 30th anniversary of the bombing, it is fitting that five local men are making the journey to Syracuse to remember those lost, and to raise money for a local youth mental health charity.”