A KEEN cyclist pushed his body to the limit and travelled more than 200 miles in less than 12 hours.

Matt Claydon, who is part of the Maldon Cycling Club, cycled 201 miles on Sunday through the Essex countryside, including around the Dengie Peninsula, to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The 46-year-old, from Tolleshunt D’Arcy, only started cycling properly just over a year ago, but was prepared for the challenge after months of training and thousands of miles cycled.

His ride began at 3.45am from his home and finished 11 hours and 57 minutes later at the Queens Head pub in Maldon at the weekend.

Mr Claydon said: “I absolutely love cycling and it has changed my life for the better. I have lost two-and-a-half stone in a year and I am leading a healthier lifestyle then I ever have had before.

“But I needed a goal, something to keep pushing me to keep going.

“That is how the idea of this charity bike ride came about.

“It was like ‘why not – let’s give it a go’.

“I have put in a lot of miles and a lot of training over the past couple of months. “I have done about 6,000 miles of cycling since I took up the sport.”

Mr Claydon benefited from the full support from his work team at Calorex, The team helped raise £1,000 through the company alone.

The company also topped up his charity total by a further £200 after he completed the challenge.

He added: “The weather was extremely kind to me, and it was an incredibly tough day, “I hit the wall during the last five miles, “I even had to do a lap of Prom Park just so I could get the total over 200 miles.

“I must thank Simon Skelvis, Kevin Brown and his son, also called Kevin, and Ian Tompkins for coming out with me for different stretches during the day, they gave incredible moral support.

He has so far raised more than £1,500 through his JustGiving page and other donations.

He is hoping his efforts encourage others to take up challenges to help them and others.

To donate, visit http://bit.ly/2tsM85p.