West Brom hero Darren Moore ready for Velo Birmingham challenge

Yet the Albion hero is braced to be a long way from his comfort zone tomorrow, on a bicycle.

Moore is among 15,000-riders taking part in the inaugural Velo Birmingham cycle event, a 100-mile churn on closed road around the Midlands.

The 43-year-old is riding for Cure Leukaemia, having been convinced to take part by Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster. For Moore, it will be a step into the unknown in every sense.

“The furthest I have ever been in a single bike ride is 70 miles. We went down to Banbury last year, had a couple of coffees, one of the biggest cream cakes you’ve ever seen, and then came back,” he says.

“Fozzie (Foster) was putting a team together for the Velo and he wanted me to be part of it. At first, I wondered whether I could get through it. But after that I was thinking about the great help I could be doing. I wanted to be a part of that. I’ve got to say, I’ve really got the bug for it.”

Moore might be in familiar easy-going mood, yet he has taken the training very seriously.

The former centre-back, now a coach at The Hawthorns, could be found following Albion’s players up Austrian mountains during the club’s pre-season training camp.

His bicycle, meanwhile, has become a familiar sight at the Baggies training ground, with Moore making the journey to-and-from his Solihull home every day.

There has also been no shortage of support from his colleagues, with even Albion boss Tony Pulis, himself no stranger to an endurance challenge, chipping in with advice.

Pulis has previously cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats for charity and last year rowed from London to Paris.

Moore said: “The gaffer is big on it. Even on Wednesday night after the game (with Manchester City) we were talking about it in the staff room afterwards. His advice was carb-load now, just start eating!

“We went pre-season to Austria. It has some mega hills. We were on mountain bikes. That’s where I started it. What the lads did up the hills, I did the same.

“The prep work started from there. Then we went to Hong Kong, I was in the gym over there. I have just continued it right through till now.

“I am getting the buzz, thinking I’m part of this. I am looking forward to it, the experience of having all the riders there. That is what I can’t get in my head around.”

Nervous excitement aside, Moore’s chief focus is on fundraising. The recent diagnosis of Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme, coupled with the previous experiences of Geoff Thomas and Stiliyan Petrov, means the fight against leukaemia is one which resonates with every member of the Midlands football community.

Thomas, fresh from the Three Tours Challenge which saw him cycle more than 10,000km in nine weeks over the Giro D’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana routes, is also part of the Cure Leukaemia team tomorrow.

“I am buoyed by what Geoff has done, what he’s done is phenomenal,” said Moore. “It just goes to show what your body can withstand.

“This is a different training to what I’m used to. I’m pushing myself. It will be a new experience for me.

“Geoff, Stiliyan and Carl, these are just a few names in the world I work who have been affected by this disease.

“There are a multitude of people outside that have suffered illness. The more money and funds we can raise, the more people we can cure. It is a big thing for me to be able to do something which will bring awareness and raise funds.

“That is why I am doing this. It is really important for me. What I can contribute to helping others. As it gets nearer, there is an excitement in me. It is now just about getting through it.”

Q