Man to cross Channel by pedal power

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Stephane Rousson, 39, from Nice, said he is keeping his fingers crossed for perfect early morning weather conditions on Sunday to help carry him from Hythe in Kent to Wissant while suspended from the miniature Zeppelin.

It would be Rousson's second attempt at crossing the 28-mile stretch across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes after he was forced to postpone the challenge in June due to strong winds.

It would also be the second daredevil cross-Channel feat in as many days, following the success of Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy, who on Friday became the first person to fly solo across the sea using a single jet-powered wing.

The challenge is a long-held dream for flying enthusiast Rousson whose love affair with aviation grew as a child after watching Steven Spielberg's alien adventure and led to him gaining a pilot's licence.

He said: "I have to make the right decision about whether to go ahead and do this because it costs a lot of money, 5,000 euros, for the gas, for two assistance boats and other things.

"At the moment the weather forecast is looking good, with just the right amount of wind to help me in the right direction, but I will not know with absolute certainty about whether it will happen until the morning."

The 16-metre-long helium-filled blimp, nicknamed "Miss Louise" after his former girlfriend, requires light gusts of only two knots to become airborne.

Rousson is banking on a five-hour wind-free timeframe to enable him to set off, flying at an altitude of 100ft.

During the challenge, Rousson will sit underneath the envelope in a carbon fibre gondola, powering the two propellers with his feet using a bicycle-like contraption.