A 1,000-mile birthday cycle ride will bring two former Somerset school boys back to their roots in Burnham-On-Sea when they cycle from one end of the country to the other.
David Hembrow, a former pupil at King Alfred School in Highbridge, and Terry Clark, who went to Huish’s Grammar School, Taunton, will set off on their ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats on Saturday to celebrate their 40th birthday year.
They are riding to raise money for the Dr Hadwen Trust, which is dedicated to furthering medical research without using animals in experiments.
Electronic engineer Terry, who now lives in Southampton, is 39 and celebrates his birthday in September.
The cyclists, who became friends when they worked together 20 years ago, had always spoken about riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
Terry and David will be arrive in Taunton on July 3rd and will pass through Highbridge and Burnham-On-Sea on July 4th.
Basket maker David, who was 40 in March, said: “We’d been talking about doing something to celebrate our 40th birthdays and then my wife said ‘you want to ride Lands End to John O’Groats’ and it seemed a good idea.”
David, who now lives in Cambridge, and vegetarian Terry, a member of the Southampton branch of the Cyclists’ Touring Club, are looking forward to the ride, which should take them about a fortnight.
They are also hoping to climb up Ben Nevis en route, weather permitting.
One of David’s two daughters has set up a website to track her dad’s progress on the journey. Click here to sponsor the pair or here to learn more about alternatives to animal research.
