FORMER?Launceston man Bernie Verrills has achieved his aim of beating his personal record at the the Douro Bike Race. The four day stage race is held in the mountains of northern Portugal, and Bernie, alongside companion Rick, managed to top last year's time of 24-hours and 51 minutes with a new record of 17-hours, 41 minutes. He said:?"I went thinking I was fit for the race, but discovered it was just as hard and challenging as last year, with the saving grace that we had no major mechanical problems and managed to beat last year's time. "I've also managed to raise, with your help, £575 for Help for Heroes. If you had intended to sponsor/donate, but haven't got round to it yet, you can sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/BerniesDouroChallenge2014.&quot">www.bmycharity.com/BerniesDouroChallenge2014." For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.