A GROUP of Darwen men are expecting a gruelling ride when they cycle along the Leeds-Liverpool canal to raise money for a cancer charity.

Kevin Flegg, 43, and five friends are setting off on a 127 mile bike ride in the early hours of next Friday (July 24) from the Yorkshire Dales to the River Mersey.

They have already collected £2,000 for Manchester-based Christie's NHS Foundation trust, which funds research, treatment and support programs.

Mr Flegg's mother, Hazel, passed away from the disease last year.

He said: "It's a big challenge for a great cause. We're all prepared to put ourselves through the pain barrier to raise as much money as possible for Christie's.

"They provided excellent support for my family when my mother was ill, and this is our way of saying thank you. None of us have ever cycled for such a long distance before, so it's going to be interesting ride on the bumpy canal towpaths."

Joining Kevin are Chris Council, 38, Tony Dixon, 32, Paul Eaton, 30, Jock Garth, 40 and Chris Dixon, 36. The gruelling 16 hour trip is a departure from their usual meeting points at the Grey Mare inn and five-a-side football.

The men’s ordeal begins at 3am when they get in a car from Darwen heading for Leeds. They aim to be on the saddle by 4am and won't be back to the town until Saturday evening.

Chris Dixon said everyone in team were ready to tackle the challenge.

He said: "Every Sunday for the past two months we've been riding all over East Lancashire to make sure we can finish the event. Most people do a ride like this in blocks, but we're determined as a team to finish this on the day."

Events officer at the Christie charity, Marco Giannini, praised them for raising the cash. He said: “We’re extremely grateful for the team to be taking on this challenge to raise money for us. They’re all doing Kevin's mother proud.”

Anyone who wishes to donate should go to http://www.justgiving.com/chris-dixon.