Andrew Brown admits he’s been well and truly bitten by the cycling bug.

What started as a daily commute from his Christchurch home to his job as Seafront Operations Manager for BCP Council in Bournemouth three years ago has turned into something of an obsession.

So much so that last year he clocked up 3,500 miles in the saddle of his bike, christened ‘Red’, including riding the 270 miles or so from Christchurch to Liverpool in three days.

Andrew, 47, said: “I was really enjoying cycling and benefiting from being outdoors, getting better exercise, losing weight and becoming fitter.

“I decided instead of just commuting to try and eke out a few more miles.

“That turned into tens of miles and then hundreds of miles.

“Last year, it was about 3,500 miles on the bike.

“There wasn’t a particular intention to get to any sort of mileage.

“It just became a bit of an obsession really.

“The Liverpool ride was especially fulfilling.

“With the exception of using the A338 to get to Salisbury the rest was on all on national cycle routes.

“A mixture of minor roads, old railway lines and essentially just avoiding traffic.

“As a challenge, physically and mentally, it was amazing.

“It also made me think as I was riding for three days, what’s my next challenge?”

The answer is another 3,500 miles in 2023.

But this time Andrew, who has been married to Jan for 22 years and has two daughters, is raising money for three good causes:

• Hope For Food, the Bournemouth-based charity.
• Minstead Trust, based in the New Forest.
• Pop’n’Olly, a national LGBT+ education organisation.

No specific financial target has been set.

Andrew has already completed around 1,500 miles since January including riding from Land’s End to Christchurch.

Two further large rides are lined up for the coming months.

In June he’ll be cycling from John o’Groats in Scotland to Liverpool and then, at the end of September heading over to Bilbao in Spain and cycling up the western, Atlantic coast of France.

Andrew said: “I’m getting a huge amount out of cycling personally, mentally, physically, but actually I should be able to do something to benefit others at the same time.

“This is doing something I love but also raising funds for three causes close to my heart.

“I’ll be getting as fit as I can in the next six weeks for the John o’Groats ride.

“I’m going to be working incredibly hard to get the mileage in.

“I have a blog where I’m sharing my knowledge and experience.

“I’ve come from a position of cycling to work because I quite like cycling to something which has become quite addictive.

“I’ve lost about a stone and a half and feel better than ever.

“I want to share the fact that cycling is very accessible and that what may seem like ambitious goals are achievable.”

To donate to Andrew’s Crowdfunder please click here.

• Read Andrew’s blog by clicking here.