John Wrieden has been cycling all his life, in fact he told the Ross Gazette that he carried on cycling while others of his age had moved on to motorcycles or cars.

However his latest challenge is a journey which will be the furthest he has ever ridden, when he cycles from Land’s End to John O’Groats in aid of Help for Heroes. On June 12th he will fulfil one of his life goals when he takes on the incredible challenge of cycling the 986 miles between the two iconic landmarks.

Mr Wrieden is currently training hard, building up the miles, cycling around Ross to ensure that he is up to cycling approximately 80 miles a day for 12 consecutive days.

He decided to take on the challenge last July when he was 44, and says that the training has really helped him, not just to get fitter but to lose weight. He has been weight training with a personal trainer, as well as attending spin classes locally. He has also been regularly filming his training rides and uploading the videos to YouTube.

He will also be filming as much of the journey as he can, as he said it is probably going to be a once in a lifetime experience and he hopes that his experience will inspire others to take up the sport.

Readers can follow John’s training progress on https://www.youtube.com/user/MrWrieden

John chose to support Help for Heroes because the charity does amazing work for those who put their lives on the line to serve our country.

By doing this challenge, he said: “I am doing my bit to ensure they are well looked after when they return, and for the rest of their lives.”

In addition to the cycle ride, John has also organised a fundraising Music Concert at Ross Baptist Church, on Saturday, February 24th.

This informal evening of entertaining light music will reflect John’s journey through the country. For more information see the advertisement on page 8 of this week’s Ross Gazette.