Boy cycling 900 miles for dad who taught him to ride

Rupert Brooke's father Tom died when he was four

A 10-year-old boy is to cycle from London to Barcelona in memory of his late father, who taught him to ride his bike.

Rupert Brooke will set off on the 920-mile (1480km) challenge on Saturday as a tribute to Tom Brooke, who died in a work accident when his son was four.

He will be joined by his mother Jess Brooke, who said cycling had been "a great focus for him since we lost his dad", helping him to get stronger each year.

Rupert, from the Vale of Belvoir in Leicestershire, hopes to raise money for the Children's Bereavement Centre, which helped him and his mother cope with their loss.

Rupert lost his dad aged four and is now cycling to Barcelona in his memory

The charity, based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, also helped them through the loss of Rupert's grandmother.

Rupert said raising money for his chosen cause was important to him because "not everyone else around the country does get the support like I do".

To train for the challenge, scheduled to last two-and-a-half weeks, he has practiced hill repeats, springs and racing.

This is not Rupert's first challenge, as he cycled from London to Paris for the same charity three years ago when he was seven.

Jess is joining Rupert on his challenge and says she is "really looking forward to it"

Jess said she was "unbelievably proud" of her son. The pair aim to ride an average of 50 miles a day.

She said: "Rupert is amazing, he's going to do really well, he's super tough and seems to have an innate ability to keep going.

"I'm slightly concerned about keeping up with him but also really looking forward to it."

Rupert said he was most looking forward to the the Pyrenees, where he and his mum will take on 25 miles of uphill cycling on gradients of about 10%.

"Cycling has helped with my mental fitness," he said.

"It's helped with not always being at the house, seeing lots of scenery, being really healthy and eating better food."