A YOUNG man from Ashwater has completed his challenge to cycle the John O’Groats to Land’s End route, raising money for the organisation Bike the UK for MS.

Owen Martyn, 19, completed the challenge with eight other cyclists, covering 1,006 miles in 14 days on his Giant Defy 3 road bike, purchased from Launceston Cycles.

Owen said: “Fort Augustus was the best part because of the views, but it was a big climb to get to the views; it was the biggest challenge but the most rewarding.”

Owen described the ride as ‘one of the best two weeks of my life’, but it didn’t go without its struggles, with Owen’s legs being bitten savagely by midges.

He added: “The day we went through Bath, we missed a food stop and at the end of the day, I hadn’t eaten enough and felt really weak and lethargic.”

MS is a condition close to Owen’s heart, as his mother lives with the debilitating disease.

Crossing over Dartmoor on the penultimate day, Owen knew he was nearing the end of the challenge and was greeted by friends and family at the bandstand in Tavistock Park, when the group stopped for a food break and tucked into a pasty from the Original Pasty House. Owen said that his pasty ‘was a taste of home’.

Owen arrived at Land’s End at 5pm on Sunday, July 31, and soon after announced that he is hoping to do it again next year and will be looking for some company.

Owen has raised £1,377 so far. To support him, visit the website www.biketheukforms.org/cyclists/detail