Pedal-powered channel bid fails

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Stephane Rousson, 39, aborted the bid part-way across the English Channel after being hampered by a change in the direction of the wind.

Rousson, from Nice, set off from the coast of Hythe in Kent just before 8am and hoped to reach Wissant about five hours' later while suspended from the miniature Zeppelin.

But he decided to call off the mission less than 11 miles from Wissant, he said.

Speaking from France, Rousson said: "We were about three-quarters of the way across but the wind was flowing in the wrong direction for me to make it across. I'm not disappointed. I feel happy because it had nothing to do with any technical failure, it was purely the wind that got in the way of this achievement.

"Unfortunately there was nothing to suggest from the weather forecasts that there was going to be this change in the direction of the wind."

After the airship was deflated, Rousson was taken to the French shore on board one of two boats which had shadowed him during the 28-mile journey across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

He said: "The success is not with me but I have had so much fun. My legs are a little bit burnt and I'm sure tomorrow I will be feeling a little sad but I'll have a few beers."

Rousson said the financial costs involved in the project meant he was unsure whether he would try again. But he added that he hoped to bring on board a major sponsor to help him fulfil the dream.

He said: "All my money has gone into achieving this over the past five years. I'm quite a bit in debt. If I found a lot of money I would definitely try again but I don't have a large budget at the moment. I have had such fun. I have just spent almost eight hours pedalling and I have done my best to make this achievement happen."