Afternoon:
9°c
No sleep 'til John O'Groats for cyclist on 860-mile ride
Simon Kirby4 Aug 2008
A London cyclist is tonight hoping to complete an 860-mile sleepless ride from one end of the country to the other.
Dave Pickles, 24, is attempting to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats in under 60 hours to raise money for charity. He will only stop to eat.
The civil engineer from Crystal Palace set out at midday on Saturday to take advantage of prevailing winds. He has already pedalled north through Exeter, Bristol, Worcester, Stafford, Warrington, Preston and Kendal.
At 7am today the cyclist had covered 498 miles and was heading into Carlisle, 10 miles from the Scottish border. His mother Sue said: "Last night he was on a high because he had got a lot of miles under his belt."
Mr Pickles hopes to reach John O'Groats in the early hours of tomorrow morning. His feat is in aid of the poorest children in India and Nepal. "I can't tell you the amount of people that have called me a nutter," he said.
Mr Pickles accepted that 860 miles in 60 hours was a tall order but said he expected the sleep deprivation to be more of a challenge than the required average speed of 17mph. He has undergone a mammoth training regime over the past three months. A 77-mile run along Hadrian's Wall in 44 hours with less than one hour's sleep stands out among the countless bike rides and gym sessions. He will need to make sure he eats 19,000 calories every 24 hours of his trip. Mr Pickles is hoping to raise £3,454 for Camden-based charity Kids In Need of Education.
• Donations can be made via www. justgiving.com/davepickleslejog08
