Tansley: Father and son take on cycle challenge

Joe Woods, 62, and his son Josh, 23, who both live in Tansley, cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats, raising more than £1,300.

The money will be split between Cancer Research UK and Smile Train – a charity which provides operations to repair cleft palates in developing countries.

The pair took on the challenge in memory of Joe’s friend John Harrod, who lived in Matlock, and passed away from cancer aged 61.

It took them 13 days to complete the challenge, which is just over 600 miles.

They averaged 79 miles per day and had some help on the way from Joe’s wife and Josh’s mother Angela.

Joe, who is currently a trainer in the justice sector but worked for the Probation Service for many years, said he and his son had talked about doing the challenge for some time.

He added: “As Josh had just graduated from Durham University as an engineer and starts his working career for Lloyds Register shipping division in September, we thought it was probably the best opportunity to actually do it.”

During the ride, Joe and Josh cycled up hills for a total of 63,902 feet, had eight punctures and used an average of 4,706 calories per day.

They also had a crash on the second day which left Hoe with three stitches in his elbow and a sprained wrist.

Despite the accident the pair described the journey as ‘amazing’, which had given them a great sense of ‘satisfaction and camaraderie’.

To support both causes, visit Joe and Josh’s Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/remember/136203/John_Harrod