Vic, 79, a Lewes resident and dedicated environmentalist, completed a 973km cycle ride from Bilbao to St Malo. Part way through his journey he rode through Cap Ferret, where residents and holidaymakers were evacuated as a forest fire ripped through the peninsula.
He said: "I can quite see why it was devastated. It's very beautiful but I was astonished at how many campsites there were. People would of course be cooking for themselves and there was a huge risk from gas bottles. I was looking at local TV from my hotel room and as a firefighter talked to camera there was an enormous boom,and a cylinder exploded right behind him.
"I cycled 120 miles up the coast and I can say it was tinderbox dry. The Forestry teams have created large firebreaks, and even ploughed them, but they were clearly not enough. I was talking to local people and they said that part of France was inundated with heavy rain in the spring. The undergrowth grew tall and thick and it fuelled the fire. It was not just trees that burnt, the whole landscape was in flames. The temperature at its heart rose to 3,538 degrees.
Vic missed the conflagration as he was ahead of the outbreak on his mammoth ride. He said: "I must admit I flagged. It was just so hot."
Vic's ride was to raise funds for Convoy for Ukraine and the Lewes-based Ukrainian Hearts. He's raised about £3,000 so far - with gift-aid adding 25 per cent to some of it, this has increased the total to £4,000. He is very proud that his efforts mean he has bought an ambulance. These are ferried direct by Lewes teams to the front line in Ukraine.
This is just one of Vic's fundraising efforts for the charities. Last year he completed another mammoth cycle ride, that time from the French Riviera to Dieppe. He says: "I meet so many wonderful people on these rides. They are hard work but so enjoyable. And knowing other people will benefit helps me push on when things get a little bit tough."