Restaurant owner rises to Hadrian's challenge

Restaurant owner plans 171-mile bike ride to raise money for charity after his grandad died of cancer A BRUTAL cycle ride along the length of Hadrian s Wall is the challenge that lies ahead of a businessman from Camden Town. Kelly Richardson, 33, is the

Restaurant owner plans 171-mile bike ride to raise money for charity after his grandad died of cancer

A BRUTAL cycle ride along the length of Hadrian's Wall is the challenge that lies ahead of a businessman from Camden Town.

Kelly Richardson, 33, is the owner of Bodega de Tapas in Hawley Crescent, and at 6am on June 24 he will begin the 171-mile trek starting from South Shields in Tyne and Wear.

"The trip is about 90 per cent off-road and it includes four of the Lake District peaks," he said.

"I've got 24 hours to complete it, which means I'll have only about three hours' rest time during the ride so long as I can keep at an average speed of about 20 or 25kph."

Official cycle guides recommend seriously fit athletes should allow three days to finish the route, but Mr Richardson is staying cool ahead of his one-day task and is hoping to raise £5,000 for Cancer Research UK.

"My grandfather George Richardson died of cancer three weeks ago and I decided to take this challenge to make a difference and to raise awareness of the disease," he said.

The journey will take him across some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK before he winds up exhausted in Ravenglass, Cumbria. Not a regular cyclist, he has been training as much as possible over the last couple of weeks, going out on the North Circular after he finishes work at 11pm.

"I rode 110 miles down to Maidstone and back last week and I'm still feeling pretty stiff," he said.

"If you're training for a marathon then a couple of hours running is a good workout, but if you're cycling you need to do about eight hours to make it really worthwhile, so I've been out cycling until three or four in the morning recently and at times I've asked myself what the hell I'm doing.

"I thought about cycling from John O'Groats to Lands' End but that's actually quite easy even if you don't do any exercise because your body gets fitter as you go. But with this ride you've got to hit the ground running."

His co-worker Brazilian Leo Bentes was due to take part in the ride alongside him but was forced to pull out last week after learning his father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"It just goes to show how common cancer is," said Mr Richardson.

"Everyone who has died in my family has died from cancer. It's a really good cause and if people can spare as little as a pound it would make a huge difference to me."

To sponsor Mr Richardson, visit www.justgiving.com/

bodegadetapas

tan.parsons@hamhigh.co.uk

HADRIAN'S WALL FACTFILE:

Hadrian's Wall crosses the whole width of Britain, from Wallsend in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west

It is 73 miles long and was between 13 and 15 feet high when it was built

Emperor Hadrian ordered the wall to be built in 120 AD to mark and defend the northern boundary of the Roman Empire in Britain

It was designed to keep the uncontrollable and warlike Picts from invading and raiding the Empire

Gateways were placed at regular intervals along Hadrian's Wall a mile apart and are known as milecastles. They were fortified gateways which allowed Roman soldiers to patrol the land to the north of the wall and control people passing through it in both directions

It was built from nearby materials including turf and quarried stone