Donations to the West Surrey charity Woking Hospice have jumped to £28,000 following the death of one of its fundraisers during the Ride London cycling event this weekend.

Kris Cook, aged 36 (pictured), was taken ill during the event and died shortly after being taken to hospital.

“This is a real tragedy and Kris’s death has shocked us all,” said Woking Hospice chief executive, Nigel Harding. “We had almost 40 people cycling on our behalf yesterday and we are most grateful to them all but the death of Kris has inevitably cast a long shadow over the proceedings.”

The amount raised by Cook exceeds his target of £500 by 5634 per cent and increased by more than £20,000 in less than 24 hours following news of his death.

He was part of a group of 12 friends riding together to raise cash for Woking Hospice.

On his Justgiving page, Cook said, “I have never taken on a challenge such as this. The training has just started and I think it is going to be taking up quite a bit of my time over the coming months. It is great to be raising money for a local charity who provide such a fantastic service to those who need it!”

Woking Hospice provides palliative care to residents of West Surrey, including specialised, multi-disciplinary care for patients suffering from progressive terminal illnesses.

The Ride London event involved cycling from London to Surrey. More than 20,000 people finished, and the organisers hope it will raise £12m for charity.