Veteran cyclist Gerard McCarten has started his latest charity challenge but had to cut short his first day in the saddle.
Gerard, 85, has set himself a target of conquering a four peaks mountain challenge – from outside his home in Hensingham.
He intends to cycle the height of the highest mountain in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England in three days.
The combined height of the four peaks is 4,446 metres (14,583ft) and Gerard will travel no further than 50 metres from his front door.
After Monday’s opening ride Gerard reported to Cumbria Crack: “It was pretty grim weather, cold and qwet so I broke my second session of two hours into two parts.
“I had to finish early because of the onset of cramp but just 12 laps, 72 metres short of my daily target.”
Refreshed, though, and with the weather a little kinder, he was off again this morning for the first of his two-hour sessions.
Gerard is aiming to raise awareness of the forthcoming Asthma + Lung UK campaign for funding research into bronchiectasis.
World Bronchiectasis Day will be followed on 4/5/6 July by the World Bronchiectasis Conference in Dundee, Scotland.
According to Asthma + Lung UK one in five people will have a lung condition during their lifetime.
To attain his target height Gerard is tackling an 8% gradient on the road outside his house on Balmoral Road. This intrepid rider will need to tackle the slope no fewer than 757 times, each circuit attaining a height of 5.875 metres (measured by calibrated laser theodolite).
Mike Cowley, of Thornhill, near Egremont who competed for Great Britain in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and was close to a medal, has been there to support the challenge.
