A CYCLIST is aiming to raise £1,000 for Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) by joining this year’s Grand Depart.

Amateur rider Grahame Dalby is taking part in the PCUK Grand Depart Classic, a yearly charity event covering the route of the first stage of the Tour de France, which clocks in at just over 120 miles.

The amateurs event takes place on June 23, two weeks before the professionals take to the road.

Since the 1970s, the honour of hosting the race starting point has often been awarded to cities outside France, including Leeds and London, but this year the action starts at Noirmoutier-en-l’Île in western France.

Grahame, of Knaresborough, is racing alongside more than 250 riders from across the UK, and is one of only three cyclists competing from the North Yorkshire region.

He was badly injured while taking part in the Coast to Coast cycling challenge last September when he hit a wall at around 20mph, dislocating two fingers, cracking a rib and cutting his face just above one eye.

Six months on, Grahame is still attending weekly physio sessions, so getting fully fit is proving tough - but he is determined to complete the gruelling race.

He said: “This is going to be quite a challenge, as I’ve been held up because of the accident, but I am very passionate about raising funds for this worthwhile charity.

“I’ve never cycled more than 40 miles on the road in one day before, so taking on the first stage of the Tour is a once in a lifetime challenge for me.”

He decided to start raising money for PCUK after losing his father-in-law, a volunteer fireman and well-known Knaresborough figure, to the disease in 2007.

To help him reach his target go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ and search for Grahame Dalby.

To find out more about prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK, visit https://prostatecanceruk.org/