Sickness claims Littlehampton man’s cycling partner on gruelling India ride

Jason Walsh, 27, will have to ride solo for the remainder of the epic journey, after sickness forced his friend Rich Thomas, 23, from Wales, to pull out.

He still has almost 1,000km left before reaching his destination. However, his father Tony, of Oakcroft Gardens, said Jason was keen to finish the challenge.

“He is still in high spirits, despite the awful conditions he has to endure and the fact he can’t speak Indian,” said Tony.

For the past couple of days Jason, who is raising cash for relief charity Merlin, has been caught in the monsoon weather, but is still cycling between 120 and 150km a day, and writing a regular blog about his trip on Facebook.

He has now passed through Goa and is well on track to reaching the finishing line, in Kanyakumari, in the south.