AN Ilkley Cycling Club duo have smashed the tandem world record for the time taken to cycle between Edinburgh and London - raising money to end youth homelessness at the same time.

Doug Hart and Mark Bourgeois rode between the two capital cities - a journey of 388 miles- on Saturday August 8 on a tandem in 17 hours and 52 minutes.

They broke the existing Road Record Association ( RRA) world record set in 1988 by 50 minutes, travelling at an average speed of 22 mph.

Doug Hart, a maths teacher from Shipley, is an accomplished time trialler and already holds three RRA records.

This was a first record attempt by Mark Bourgeois, a Chartered Surveyor from Ilkley, who has come back strongly after being in Airedale Hospital with Covid-19 in April.

They set off from Edinburgh central post office ‪at 4am‬, reaching the Post Office Monument in the City of London at 9.52pm, with fleeting stops and the odd repair.

Family and friends from Ilkley Cycling Club turned out to wave them on as they passed through Wetherby and many tracked their progress online, enjoying the jeopardy and excitement as they approached London.

Doug Hart said: “ It was a tough ride but conditions and traffic were in our favour and with some great support vehicle help from RRA legends, Ian and Bridget Boon, and plenty of peanut butter rice cakes, we made it in good time.”

They also rode to raise money for Land Aid and Shelter From The Storm, two charities tackling youth homelessness, so far raising over £12,000. Mark Bourgeois said: “ It was a hard ride but nothing like as hard as sleeping on the streets with no home to go to.

“So it seemed right to combine the challenge with doing our bit to help during these worrying times.”

Mark added: “Half of the money raised will go to Shelter From The Storm, https://sfts.org.uk/ a brilliant organisation based in Archway, near Hammerson’s King’s Cross HQ. I’ve been involved with SFTS for a few years now and never cease to be amazed by the energy and selfless drive of the founder and CEO, Sheila Scott and the SFTS team.

“LandAid is a wonderful organisation who do incredible work for youth homelessness throughout the UK.

“The impact of Covid will significantly increase the pressure on young people and so support is needed now, more than ever.”

Further donations can be made on the JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-bourgeois1