EIGHTEEN brave and willing cyclists headed for Paris set off from Launceston Rugby Club on the afternoon of Sunday, June 26 in aid of the Cornwall Downs Syndrome Support Group.

The first stint of the journey took them to Plymouth where they boarded the overnight ferry to Roscoff, arriving across the Channel at around 7am on the Monday.

The team then made their way across France, towards Paris, where they arrived on the afternoon of Friday, July 2.

The cyclists concluded their journey by negotiating the world famous Arc de Triomphe roundabout before stopping at the Eiffel Tower for a well earned cool drink.

They enjoyed a celebration meal in Paris on Friday evening, and returned to Roscoff (by train!) on Saturday afternoon.

From there, they caught the ferry back to Plymouth, which arrived at 6.30am on Sunday, July 4.

The 18 cyclists hope to raise over £12,000 for the Cornwall Downs Syndrome Support Group, which will go towards the charity's target of £50,000 for its Special Fund; a trust being set up to benefit youngsters across Cornwall with Downs Syndrome who will be leaving main stream education and entering the young adult world or further college education.

The grant aims to help and encourage those youngsters to lead a more fulfilling and independent life, and supporting them along the way is a key challenge for the local Cornish charity.

Coads Green man, Mike Armstrong, whose own daughter Nicole has Downs Syndrome, had been organising the event for the last 18 months.

Mike regularly text friends, family and Nicole's school (Coads Green Primary) at each stopping point along the way so that they could plot how the cyclists were getting on with their own maps.

He said: "The five days cycling in France on our way to Paris were unseasonably hot – most days we hit over 36 degrees on the road in the afternoon and upon reaching Paris, the temperature reflected off the road was 42 degrees.

"The tarmac around the Arc de Triomphe was like cycling on a river of tar, the cobbles of the Champs Elysees – bumpy! We certainly had to be aware of how the bikes would change direction very quickly.

"The French countryside was magnificent and the roads a pleasure to cycle on; car and vehicle drivers being polite towards us all.

"Everyone who started the challenge from Launceston (all 18) made it to Paris safe and sound, though along the route everyone had their own 'bad' morning or afternoon at sometime.

"I'd like to thank everyone who took up the challenge, the camaraderie en-route amongst the group was brilliant – the lunch stops were well catered for, with everyone tucking in to replace lost energy. On average, we were probably drinking around 9 to 12 litres each whilst cycling, topping up with a few beers or glasses of wine each night!

Mike added: "Launceston Rugby Club – we owe a huge big thank you to them, for their continued support towards the Cornwall Downs Syndrome Support Group, they made the start a real family friendly affair."

"I must thank the other two group charity family cyclists, the 15 non-related cyclists who stepped up to the tackle challenge and everyone around the Launceston area who have donated to our cause. It's not too late to make donations via http://www.cdssg.org.uk">www.cdssg.org.uk, using the JustGiving link."