Raising a total of £100,000 ($125,000/€115,000) between them, the proceeds will go to the Brompton Bike Hire Wheels for Heroes campaign which aims to provide 1,000 new loan bicycles for staff to use for travel during the crisis.

The joint donation comes from the Places to Ride investment fund, created by the Government after the UK hosted the 2019 International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships in Yorkshire.

A further £100,000 is needed to reach a target with the deadline for donations extended until April 24.

Brompton's campaign will see the bikes loaned to the workers during the crisis for as long as lockdown restrictions are in place.

British Cycling chief executive Julie Harrington said she is glad the legacy fund is going to those who need it most. 

"We always knew that the legacy of last year's UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire would be felt far and wide, but at a time of real national crisis, I am incredibly proud that the Places to Ride legacy fund will be supporting the frontline workers who are going above and beyond to keep us safe," she said.

"At British Cycling we have always believed that the humble bicycle has a unique capacity to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges and whether you're making essential journeys or simply looking after your physical and mental health, its value has never been so clear."

Julian Scriven, the director of Brompton Bike Hire, said it is great that NHS workers can benefit from the initiative. 

"At Brompton Bike Hire, it's important that we not only help those working on the front lines at the moment but have a lasting impact on the way we move around cities in the future," he said.

"The generous donation from Places to Ride fund will go a long way to make sure this happens."

The United Kingdom is one of the hardest hit nations in the world by COVID-19, with more than 120,000 confirmed cases and over 16,000 deaths.