Cyclist raises £1,000 after tackling Tour de France route

A father-of-two who attempted to emulate Bradley Wiggins on a Tour de France route has raised more than £1,000 for charity.

Mark Hanlon (left), of Heywood Avenue in Maidenhead, was one of 6,500 competitors to take part in the L'Etape Du Tour last month, a 95-mile French route which takes in five mountain peaks.

Mark, cycling in 32 degree heat, was unable to finish the route within the strict time limit and was one of 2,000 riders to have to complete the journey by bus.

But the 36-year-old still managed to tackle most of the peaks and completed nearly 60 miles of the course.

Media company worker Mark thanked his supporters for helping him raise £1,057 for the Alexander Devine Hospice.

He joked: "With 2012 being a pretty fallow year with respect to sporting highlights I am pretty confident of getting on the shortlist at least for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year."