Norwich duo preparing for their own Tour de France

Two Norwich men are preparing to embark on a bold 650-mile cycle trip through France in aid of a Norfolk charity.

James Chant and Damian Conway are putting the finishing touches to their preparations before beginning their adventure in the northern French city of Caen on Friday, May 27.

From there the pair intend to cycle the length of France – going through the Forest de Senonches and following the Loire river down to the famous vineyards in the south of the country – before finishing up in Aigues-Mortes on the southern coast, near Montpellier.

It is all in aid of Norfolk charity Break, making use of their passion for cycling to give something back to a local charity which helps vulnerable children and adults.

Mr Chant, 47, of Unthank Road in the Golden Triangle, works for Aviva at Broadland Business Park in Thorpe St Andrew and Mr Conway, 53, of Crown Road in New Costessey, is a director and contact lens specialist at Castle Street opticians Dipple and Conway. They are hoping to raise �2,500, having already had over �500 pledged, and Mr Chant said: 'We are so excited about it, it's going to be a lot of fun.

'We cycled from Norwich to London just for the hell of it last May and started talking about the idea of cycling through France when we had a debrief in The Bell Hotel afterwards. And as it has got closer and closer we have become more and more enthusiastic about it.

'We did a training ride of 50 miles at the weekend and have been going to the Elite Performance gym on Britannia Road, so training has been going really well.'

To donate to the pair's cause log on to www.justgiving.com/tourthrufrance or for more about their plans, and to follow their blog throughout the trip, log on to www.tourthrufrance.com

Are you planning a charity adventure? Contact David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk