THREE cyclists will hop on two wheels to embark on a 1,100-mile bike from Oxford to Barcelona in memory of a close friend who died of cancer.

Hydrologist David Mould from Cholsey has teamed up with brother Simon Mould from Chinnor and friend Sinead Matthews from Abingdon as they wheel through a 12-day journey from Oxfordshire to the Catalan capital starting on May 9.

The trio will pedal through France and face the challenge of French mountain Mont Ventoux, famous for its inclusion in previous Tour De France competitions.

All three will donate raised funds to Penny Brohn Cancer Care because their close friend, Jennifer Russell from Bristol, died in December last year from bowel cancer, at the age of 33.

Father-of-two David Mould said the pain of seeing Jennifer’s two children and widowed husband Andy Russell at the funeral was the driving force behind the cycle.

The 34-year-old said: “When we went to the funeral and saw her two kids we thought we should live life to the full while we can and that is what made us want to help.

“I have always been a keen cyclist and always wanted to do something like this in the sun.

“Sinead was there through the whole Jennifer thing and my brother is a keen cyclist so we had to haggle him in to it a little bit.

“I am a little bit anxious but we will be fine because we have been doing a lot of miles over the winter.

“We are staying in a couple of houses owned by friends we know, which is useful because we want as much money as possible to go to charity.”

The first day of cycling, from Oxford to Portsmouth, will include several local riders who will also be raising money for Penny Brohn Cancer Care, WaterAid and Organ Donation.

The late Jennifer Russell’s school friend Sinead Matthews, 33, said: “This is the first time I have done anything this long before.

“I am looking forward to it but I am a little bit nervous and since Christmas we have been building up the miles with other cyclists in the area.

“Jennifer and I met on the first day of school in Surrey with David’s girlfriend Claire.“We would always be the ones roaring at the back of the restaurant and she would talk to us about cancer because nothing was too scary to talk about with us. She had a wicked sense of humour and she was always the first one to want to live life to the full.”

Funds will also be raised for Water Aid and Organ Donation because Miss Matthews lost a cousin, who had cystic fibrosis, in Ireland because she was waiting for a new pair of lungs at the age of 15.

To donate visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Cholsey-Barcelona.