A BICYCLE bought as a Christmas present for his girlfriend has led to one man tackling a mammoth cycling challenge in the name of charity.

Kevin Hockney, 45,of Hanley Castle, near Malvern, is in training to complete a 100 mile ride through the streets of London and Surrey later this year.

Kevin is taking part in the Ride London-Surrey race for CLIC Sergeant- a charity which supports children and young people who are diagnosed with cancer.

"To be able to do it for such a worth-while cause is just great, I'm really looking forward to it.

"Last year there were about 18,000 people watching and around 500,000 spectators with a lot of London roads closed off. It makes it more exciting but the last thing you want to do is fall off, and with that many people watching, I've got to make sure I finish" he said.

Kevin found out his place on the race, and the charity he's representing, was secure in November last year and training began.

"At the moment, with the dark nights and weather, it's been quite hard to get as much cycling time in as I would like, but I still put a lot of hours in over the weekend.

"Once the summer evenings draw in I will be cycling a lot more and plan to go through Malvern, Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Upton equating to anywhere between 30-80 miles a day.

"I need to put that much effort in as a 100 mile track is going to be hard, it's the cycling equivalent of the London Marathon."

Kevin has only been cycling seriously since January 2013.

After buying his girlfriend a bicycle for Christmas in 2012, he decided to buy himself a bike so he could join her on excursions, and has simply taken to it.

"After I bought my bike, I realised my boss was competitive when it came to cycling so we'd often try and beat eachother's times, and it's just grown from there really.

"I loved it straight away, as I enjoy being active, and I've just bought myself a second bike too.

"To be able to do something for charity through my love for cycling is great.

"People have been very supportive and so far I have raised £150 for the charity. It's much appreciated, but I am calling for more support to people outside my friends and family as it's for people who really need it."

Kevin will be taking part in the London-Surrey race on August 10.

To donate money for his cause visit justgiving.com/Kevin-Hockney