Littlehampton man put to the test in epic Indian cycle ride

Littlehampton man Jason Walsh, 27, along with his friend Rich Thomas, 23, from Wales, will be tackling a 4,000km, six-week adventure across the country to help raise money for medical relief charity, Merlin.

However, as medical student Jason, of Oakcroft Gardens, explained, his gruelling trail hit a hurdle just days before he set off on his intrepid journey, last Wednesday (July 25).

“Just a couple of weeks before me and Rich were due to set off from Gatwick Airport, someone stole my £500 bike, while I was staying in Wales. It almost derailed our plans but I managed to get some cash together to buy myself a new one.”

They began their journey on Thursday from the Indian-Pakistan border, near Amritsar, in northern India.

They will be completing their trek totally unaided, relying on their wits and determination to reach their destination of Kanyakumari, in the south of India.

So far, they have raised more than £2,300 for Merlin.

The pair will be aiming to cycle between 50 and 70 miles a day. However, they have trained to do almost double that, if they begin to fall behind.

Rich explained that the inspiration for the trip came to him after he witnessed some of the humanitarian work carried out in Africa by doctors, with Merlin.

Rich said: “Merlin came to my attention a couple of years ago. I was travelling in Africa and I got to see the incredible lengths people from the charity go to help others.

“A lot of the bigger charities won’t go to certain parts of the world because they’re too dangerous. However, those at Merlin will go anywhere to help provide medical care, to those that really need it.”

Jason, who has completed other charity challenges across the globe, is hoping to raise more than £4,000 from the ride.

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