Lisa Hosie, of North Stroud Lane, pedalled for three and a half days around northern France and the Loire Valley, where she joined close friends Julia and Mike Johns, also of Stroud, in a field of 220 riders raising money for different charities.

While Lisa decided to donate her sponsorship money to the swimming pool, Julia and Mike Johns gave theirs to the RNLI.

Lisa (41) said: “I chose the open air pool as it is somewhere that I use with my children and I wanted to use the event for a local charity. I did the ride really for a personal challenge.

“I said to my husband it is my biggest achievement since I gave birth. It was really nice to go and do something for me that means something.” The trio spent up to eight hours a day in the saddle.

Lisa, who works at Petersfield Hospital in Swan Street, is a keen cyclist but had never completed such a gruelling journey before.

However, regular training over weekends beforehand meant her body coped with the strain.

“It was always going to be tiring doing that sort of distance, but basically we had done enough training before to do it,” she said.

“The biggest challenge is getting back in the saddle the next day.”

Lisa raised £600 for the pool’s retiling fund from the ride, known as the Tour de Tours.