Cannock man aims for coast to coast in 24 hours
A cycling fan is putting his skills to the test by pedalling 123 miles across the country in one day - and his adorable pet pup Wolfred will be tagging along, too.
Will Bryan plans to take the Shih Tzu - Jack Russell cross in a special carrier on the front of the bike for the first 10 - 15 miles.
He said: "I quite often take him out on rides along the canal. The furthest we've been is the Peak District. He absolutely loves it."
The 29-year-old from Cannock, a keen cycling tourist, hopes to carry out his coast-to-coast stint in April.
He said: "A distance like that is normally done in three of four days - my challenge is to do it in one.
"A touring bicycle is three times heavier than an average racing bike, so it's a lot harder to do than people might think.
"I wanted to raise money for a charity and I remembered how fantastic the Macmillan nurses were who looked after my grandfather Gordon Bryan who died nearly 10 years ago. They do a wonderful job."
More recently his grandmother, June Ann Ridley, also died of cancer, he said.
The former Cannock Chase High School pupil will be cycling the route between Whitehaven on the west coast and Sunderland in the east, taking in some of the Lake District mountains.
He had originally wanted to do the longer north-south challenge of John o'Groats to Land's End but could not get the time off work.
"With my current work schedule, it just wasn't possible, then the idea of doing west to east came up and I decided to to take the plunge," he said.
"It won't be easy. The highest point will be 2,000ft above sea level and altogether I'll be climbing 8,000ft over the route."
Will, of Church Street, Bridgtown, is already putting in the miles even though the sponsored ride does not take place until April 11.
He says he is eager to get into the saddle after a week spent in a van picking up milk samples from farms across the region to be tested in a dairy laboratory in Wolverhampton.
"It a perfect job for me because these farms are in the middle of nowhere in beautiful countryside. I love the great outdoors and that sense of freedom is even better on the back of a bicycle."
Anyone wishing to sponsor him can do so via the justgiving.com/c2c1day website.
