TWO friends and keen cyclists from Skipton are to take on Britain's most iconic long distance ride to boost three charities.

Phil Taylor and Matt Gaunt, both aged 50, will set off to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats on June 2 – a trip that will take them about ten days at an average distance of just under 100 miles a day.

Phil, who is design director of Skipton prams and manufacturer, Silver Cross, is raising cash for Cancer Research UK, while Matt, who works for a clinical commissioning group in the Preston area, is backing Leeds-based children's cancer charity The Candlelighters Trust and mental health charity Lancashire Mind.

Father-of-two Phil said: "It's obviously a great challenge but it's one we have been training quite hard for, so we are fairly confident we can do it.

"We have recently been doing 100-mile rides at the weekend, plus other regular training rides.

"We both feel very strongly about the charities we are supporting – I wanted to support Cancer Research because I lost both my father and my sister-in-law to the disease.

"Obviously, we are hoping to raise as much money as we possibly can. We are mostly staying in bed and breakfast accommodation along the way, so at least we should recover okay in between hard days in the saddle!"

The shortest route between Land's End and John O'Groats for cyclists – avoiding motorways, on which they are not allowed – is generally reckoned to be about 875 miles, though many riders find they have done well over 900 miles by the finish.

The 'quickest ride' record by a single rider is held by Andy Wilkinson, who completed the journey in 41 hours, 4 mins, 22 seconds on a recumbent tricycle.

The official Road Records Association record for a rider on a conventional bicycle is 44 hours, 4 mins, 20 seconds, set by Gethin Butler in 2001.

Anyone wishing to support Phil and Matt's charities can do so via the following 'just giving' links – Cancer Research UK: justgiving.com/fundraising/PhilipJTaylor; The Candlelighters Trust: justgiving.com/fundraising/Matt-Gaunt6; Lancashire Mind: justgiving.com/fundraising/Matt-Gaunt8.

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