A CLEVEDON man is gearing up for his mammoth charity bike ride from Land's End to John o' Groats.

On July 22, Andy Whiteman will set off on the ride, which is expected to be around 1,000 miles and take around 10 days.

Proceeds from the charity challenge will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association.

Dan Campbell will act as his maintenance man and will steer him in the right direction.

Andy was inspired to undertake the challenge in memory of his friend Gordon Dennis.

His Just Giving page explains further: "Well let’s introduce ourselves first, we are Andy and Dan, and to make things clear Andy will be doing the riding and I will be the support driver and maintenance man for him, also steering him away from temptations such as pasties and pork pies as he gets in shape.

"Andy is a keen cyclist, but this is quite a challenge and requires a lot of planning.

"Although the length of the route is shorter than 1,000 miles, Andy wishes to take the longer route so he can surpass this milestone.

"We are completing this charity event to raise awareness for Motor Neurone Disease and to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

"Let me now introduce Gordon. Gordon and Andy were close friends having met through a shared passion of flying gliders (full size, not models), and both were instructors.

"Gordon was an accomplished musician and part of a band for over 60 years; playing bass guitar and eventually keyboard.

"Gordon was a keen astronomer and attained a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Astronomy and Planetary Science from The Open University and a Degree of Master of Science in Astrophysics from Liverpool John Moores University.

"Sadly four years ago Gordon was diagnosed with MND and this impacted on the things he loved doing. In July 2023 Gordon died and he is much missed by his partner and all those that knew him.

"The MND Association focus on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. By sponsoring me your money will help people affected by Motor Neurone Disease."

Andy hopes to raise £5,000.