By Community Correspondent, Philippa Hennessy Last year, a group of men from Wimbledon and the surrounding areas, set about cycling from London to St Emilion.  They covered a staggering 750 km, following a route that formed part of the 2008 Tour de France, in just over four days. They raised £12,000 for the charity, Action For Children.

They have missed the open road so much so, that this weekend, the same group of men, will attempt a similar distance from Perpignan on the Mediterranean coast to Biarritz on the Atlantic coast.  They will pass through the Pyrenees and climb up some of the most famous peaks of the Tour de France, notably the Col du Tourmalet and the Col d'Aubisque. This will mean climbing to more than 2,100 metres above sea level. They hope to complete the challenge in five and a half days.

Organiser Mark Pinsent said: “It's great to be gathering the lads together for another ride. Having said that, looking at the heights of some of the mountains we've got to get over, plus the fact that it snowed down there last weekend, it's going to be rather more gruelling than last year's relatively flat run. Still, it'll be a huge achievement and we'll hopefuly raise a decent amount of money for two very worthy causes."

Training has involved a few group rides, but mostly the men have followed their own strict regimes.  In order to build up their stamina levels for the event, they have combined cycling with running and gym work.  Wimbledon residents, Mark Hennessy and Jean-Luc Harnay will be joining Pinsent and his team.  Mark participated in last year's challenge, but this is Jean-Luc's first time. However, for him, this is just a warm up before he competes in the Iron Man Lanzarote Canarias Triathlon at the end of May. The king of triathlons, where 'normal limits do not apply,' this race involves a two-loop ocean swim, a gruelling bike course (a climb of more than 2,600 metres) and a marathon – all in one day.

The cyclists are raising money for two charities; Action for Children (www.actionforchildren.org.uk) and CHASE (www.chasecare.org.uk). Donations can be made by visiting http://justgiving.com/markpinsent2009.