A KNUTSFORD man has completed a charity bike ride from northern France to the south coast of Spain in memory of his nephew.

Andrew Keeble, who completed the 2,000km cycle from Roscoff to Nerja along with brother Peter, Peter’s daughter Francesca and her boyfriend, Daniel, is now nearing the target of £15,000 for the charity Canine Partners.

The money will help the charity to train two dogs to support people with disabilities, including armed forces veterans, in day-to-day tasks.

The charity is one of many supported by the family since the sudden accidental death of Peter’s son Patrick – described as an amazing nephew, son, brother and friend – in 2013.

Andrew said: “Patrick loved dogs, and even convinced the family to get a rescue dog themselves.

“It was very emotional when we got to the end. There were people waiting for us to arrive with balloons and champagne.

“It all really dawned on me when we were flying back over Spain – I looked down at all the little fields and thought how long it took to cycle just one of them.”

The challenge saw the four-strong team take on all weather and road conditions, averaging 65 miles a day and climbing thousands of feet over the Pyrenees mountains.

They were supported by Peter’s wife, Margaret, who drove the support van and met them at regular intervals.

“We had such extremes of cycling in the pouring rain and stopping to wrap up in sleeping bags, and then two days later it’s 40 degrees and you’re trying to get out of the sun. The landscape itself was just so varied – it was incredible.

“Our average of 65 miles each day isn’t particularly high for a cyclist, but the terrain and wind and rain can make it feel very hard going.”

The team started on May 13 and finished on Bank Holiday Monday, May 29.

Click here to donate to Team Patrick or follow their fundraiser.