Newport financial planner Chris Taylor will be saddling up for the longest bike ride of his life to raise funds for a Newport charity.

Chris, who has not cycled any long distance in almost 25 years, will be taking part in the Sand to City Bike Ride in aid of St David’s Hospice Care next month.

Chris, who turns 40 this week, said: “I always try and do at least one annual fund raising activity for St David’s Hospice Care. I have done the Welsh 3 Peaks twice before.

“The last time was back in June 2017 and afterwards I said I’m not walking up any mountains next year! I didn’t particularly enjoy Snowden at 4am after only two hours of sleep the night before.

“When I told Kris Broome at St David’s I didn’t want to do it this year, he said he had just the thing for me, the Sand to City Bike Ride. I thought, why not, I used to love cycling many years ago.”

The bike ride will be from the Pendine Sands to Newport, approximately 135 miles, over two days.

Chris, a resident of Celtic Horizons, Newport, said: “Before I started my training, the last time I did any sort of distance was when I was 16. I would go mountain biking on the weekends and occasionally cycle from Newport to Penarth. I had never owned a road bike until I signed up for this challenge.

“I’ve had some great help from my friend Gareth Bailey. He has been into both mountain and road biking for some time now. We’ve been out on a few rides and I’ve learnt a lot from him.

“I also have a very sporty eight-year-old daughter and we have been out most weekends for the past few months. She is a member of Newport Harriers and is training with the sprinting group, so she’s incredibly fit. The longest ride she has done with me was 32 miles from Bristol to Bath and back on a traffic free cycle path!”

Kris Broome, director of fundraising and lottery at St David’s Hospice Care, said: “We are delighted that Chris and Kymin Financial Services have decided to help raise funds by entering the Sand to City Bike Ride.”

The registration fee for the event is £100 in addition to sponsorship.

Included with the fee and sponsorship is: transport to the starting point for both riders and bikes, a bespoke cycling jersey, hotel accommodation and an evening meal before the event, cyclist support and feed stations along the route and a barbecue at the finish.

This event will also be the first outing for the new Kymin van. It will be acting as the support vehicle during the two-day event.

The Sand to City Bike Ride will take place over two days on Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16, 2018. Tickets are available from the St David’s Hospice Care website.