Fundraiser in saddle again

8:55am Thursday 18th January 2007

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A man who raised nearly £27,000 for charity by cycling from London to Beijing is preparing for a second marathon bike ride.

Dave Wilson, from East Hanney, is planning to travel from Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of the Americas, to the Caribbean and is hoping to raise £5,000 for the Oxford branch of brain injury charity Headway.

Mr Wilson, who will start the ride on January 31, said: "The main challenge is going to the terrible winds they get. The first month it will be a constant battle against the winds, then rough roads, then of course there will be the altitude."

For the first cycle ride, which Mr Wilson spent most of last year completing, he collected for the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign and Medecins Sans Frontieres.

He decided to raise money for Headway during the South America trip because his father is the treasurer of the charity.

"I thought it would be good to do something he could push and get behind. It's a great charity," he said.

Mr Wilson, who will start work at GlaxoSmithKline in September, will be riding alongside his friend Gary Olney, who has never cycled more than a few miles before.

The trip will cover about 8,000 miles.

The pair will be camping out during most of their journey and are hoping to find time for sightseeing along the way.

"I'm lucky that I can afford to do it," he said. "Most people can't do two gap years after university, but I've got the opportunity to do it and I know I'm not going to regret not having started work sooner.

"I think, all things considered, the South America trip is going to be rougher, but we won't have to deal with as much bureaucracy to get visas and other paperwork.

"There are also a lot more other people cycling where we will be going."

The pair need to finish in time for Dave to start his new job and he is confident they will be able to complete the distance in time.

Jackie Goodwin, service manager at Headway Oxford, said: "We're thrilled about it.

"We don't know what the money will be spent on yet but I think we'll put it towards something special."

To sponsor the riders go to www.southamericacycle.co.uk