TWO cyclists will attempt to scale the equivalent height of Mount Everest by cycling Abergavenny’s notorious Tumble to raise money for charity.

Tom Cooling, age 31, from Monmouth, and Mike Walsh, 25, from Bristol, will attempt to ride the height of Everest, a heady 8,848m (29,029ft), on road bikes during the course of one day to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Everesting, as the challenge is known, requires a cyclist to acquire a vertical ascent in a single ride equivalent to the height of Mount Everest.

The pair have chosen to undertake their epic challenge on The Tumble, a three-mile long eight per cent climb out of Abergavenny up to the top of The Blorenge.

The elevation gain for one climb is 1,265ft which means that they will need to complete the climb 23 times to equal the height of Everest. The ride distance will be in the region of 141 miles and is expected to take anywhere between 15 to 20 hours.

The duo are being given support from Welsh snack brand Wild Trail which has provided a supply of their nutritious snack bars to fuel the adventure.

The pair will face their challenge on April 29 when they will be climbing onto their bikes at around 4am to do most of the ride in daylight.

Both men have been touched by cancer and wanted to show their support for everyone who is fighting the disease, or for those supporting and caring for people suffering from it.

Mr Cooling, a triathlete competitor and King of the Hill in this year’s Monmouth Kymin Dash, said: “We know this ride will hurt, but we want it to, we want this ride to embody the strength and courage that cancer patients show every day. We hope that when people see what we’ve done, they feel the strength to continue even when it hurts.”

Mr Walsh, a keen cyclist, said he was “determined” to complete the challenge.

“When my granny was diagnosed with cancer last year it shook us to the core,” he added.

“I know that my story is not unique and that everyone has been, or knows someone who has been, touched by this earth shattering disease.”

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/MICHAEL-WALSH17