AN adventurous cyclist from Maldon who embarked on an 8,000km tour of Europe has had to abandon his trip after ending up in hospital.

George Jones, of Maldon, and Louis Blaxill, of Colchester, set off in July for the fundraiser in aid of mental health charity, Mind.

The duo cycled across northern France, through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Croatia.

But after reaching Italy, disaster struck and George had an accident with a car.

He ended up in hospital for three nights and had to retire from the trip.

George said: “Louis bravely decided to continue with the trip amid an outpouring of support from friends, family and many people we didn’t know at all who had only seen our trip through social media.

“I am now at home pressing on with the rehab I need to do in order to get back to full fitness.

“Louis will soon be in France, being visited by friends and family to keep his spirits up and even having his father, a keen cyclist, decide to take time to cycle alongside him from Montpellier to Barcelona starting in two weeks’ time.

“The upheavals have bene testing for both of us, and not that easy on our families either, but it hasn’t stopped us from continuing to raise money as we have passed £4000 raised.

“We continue to push towards our new target of £6214 - one pound for every mile Louis will eventually have cycled by the time he arrives in Seville at the end of November.”

Mind has been working in the UK since 1946 to provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.

They also campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

Go to justgiving.com/fundraising/brokebike-mountain to donate.

To learn more about Mind, visit www.mind.org.uk.