DARRYL Ritchings will be getting back into the saddle this weekend, as he looks to thank the people who helped him recover from a horror crash.

The young reserve hit the fence in his first home race for Swindon against Coventry, back in April.

Despite coming round on the track Ritchings was put into an induced coma, at the Jon Radcliffe Hospital, for two weeks.

The Purton-born rider is recovering well and is keen to get back on his speedway bike, but in the meantime he will have to make do with a bicycle.

On Sunday he will be riding from the Abbey Stadium to the hospital in Oxford with six of his friends and family to raise money for the head unit.

“I’ve been training with my brother every night for the last two months doing about 15 miles a night, so I feel good,” said Ritchings.

“I’ve get a little bit tired other than that I feel fine.

“When I woke up from the coma, I said I wanted to do something for everything they did for me and this is something I can do just from them.

“To be honest I didn’t think I would be recover this quickly, I wasn’t it expecting it, I feel like I’m back quicker than I expected.

“I’ve gone up there to Blunsdon every week since I’ve been able to and they’ve been really good to me.”

The seven cyclists will be leaving at 8am and will present a cheque for more than £1,200 to the staff at the hospital with the money they have already raised.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Darryl can do so by logging onto www.justgiving.com/Darryl-Ritchings.

There will also be friends and family with buckets at the play-off ties with Coventry.