Edinburgh to Burnley in a day for quartet

Nigel Ramsden (46), Ronnie Cheetham (47), Nick Emmott (47) and 42-year-old Matt Kayley hope to complete the 225 miles in 17 arduous hours.

The pals will set off from the Scottish capital at 4am and should reach their home town at 9pm the same day.

Ronnie, who is no stranger to huge cycling challenges, said: “Nigel came up with the idea to do the ride in just one day.

“We are all keen cyclists and have done some tough rides in the past but the intensity of this one is making me nervous.

“We hope to set off at 4am and are aiming to do 15 miles an hour. If we can get back by 9pm then that will have meant about 15 hours in the saddle with a couple of hours for comfort breaks.

“We plan to eat and drink what we can while we’re riding. It will be hot work, especially at this time of year, but will be worth it.”

The group are fund-raising for Brain Tumour Research as a number of their friends have been affected.

Ronnie, a regional manager for Lyndon scaffolding, added: “Brain Tumour Research is one of the least well-funded cancers and so we thought it would be a fitting cause. We have all been putting in plenty of training but are under no illusions over how tough this will be.”

Last year Ronnie and others cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats for charity and have also done the Ultimate Three Peaks challenge.

To sponsor them visit www.justgiving.com/Ronnie-Cheetham2