A FATHER and son planning to complete a "harebrained" idea to cycle 600 miles from Scotland to Croydon for charity have already raised £3,800.
Steve Fagan, from Selsdon, came up with the idea for the ride after striking a deal with his daughter.
"It was just one of those sort of harebrained things that comes up round a dinner table after a glass or two of wine," he said.
"My daughter Leanne said 'I'll do a marathon if you do a cycle ride to Scotland'.
"She did the marathon in Brighton last year, so I was left to do the bike ride.
"I think she got the better deal to be honest."
Steve, 56, will be joined by his 30-year-old son Russell and the pair plan to set off on the epic ride from Montrose on September 11.
"We hope to do about 50 to 70 miles a day. If you spoke to Sir Bradley Wiggins, he'd do that in his sleep but 60 miles a day is plenty for me.
"I'm not a keen cyclist in any way, shape or form. About four years ago we rode from London to Brighton, but that's it, apart from my younger days when I was considerably fitter.
Steve decided to raise funds for the Stroke Association in memory of his golfing buddy Dennis Marzetti who died a few years ago.
"Sadly he had a heart attack, survived that and managed quite nicely for a few years, but he had a stroke just a few days after we played golf together," he said.
"It just went downhill from there and he had numerous ones in quite a short space of time. He had locked-in syndrome and was in a nursing home in Caterham before he passed away."
Steve, a self-employed heating engineer, said his work will have to go on the back-burner for a fortnight.
"Providing we've done our sums right it's going to take us about ten days. But of course we're bound to get lost on the way," he joked.
"We plan on finishing at the Crown And Sceptre in South Croydon. It's a very appropriate place to finish really.
"We're going to need a pint or two after cycling all that way."
You can make a donation to support Steve and Russell's ride and the Stroke Association at www.justgiving.com/Stevefagan/
