A town cyclist has celebrated his 78th birthday in dramatic fashion by cycling the number of his age in miles.
Kenneth Broad, from Church Aston, turned 78 on Sunday August 2.And he took to the road by cycling his age in miles, which this year amounted to a five-and-a-half hour bike ride.
Ken is part of a 12-man cycling team from the town who are preparing to traverse the Pyrenees in a bid to raise cash for charity.
And when his team mates heard about his solo birthday mission they made him repeat the feat with them for extra training - just five days later.
The super-fit Ken was only too delighted to take up the offer but it will pale into insignificance when the group take on the 450-mile bike ride across the Pyreneas.
He said: “There is just a fortnight to go before we take on the challenge.
“It is one of Europe’s most formidable mountain ranges, and the team have been going full throttle with training making the most of the better weather.
“Our accommodation en-route has been booked but we had a temporary headache with the unavoidable withdrawal of two members of the original team.”
But the replacements were not shy and the first substitute was the manager of Newport Fitness Centre Steve Bowers. And a second, with just three weeks to go, was former Newport Advertiser advertising boss, Paul Grubert who recently completed his own solo Trans-Europe cycle-ride.
Ken added: “Paul claims to be a little out of training, but the team is confident that his past marathon exploits will stand him in very good stead.
“If he can cope with the Alps, the Pyrenees should be no problem for him. A few quick rides up Cheney Hill should get him in perfect shape before we go.”
And the Raid Pyreneen Challenge is expected to raise a considerable sum for Macmillan Cancer Support, the Layla Pitt Remembrance Fund and Newport First Responders.
The event is being sponsored by Ultimate Taxis, Henshalls, Wrekin Circuits and Greenhous Vauxhall.
But the team are still hoping for more sponsorship with forms available from Newport Beds or Henshalls Insurance.