TWELVE months ago, RAF flight lieutenant Adam Sanders died in a tragic accident when his Tornado jet was involved in a midair collision while training off the coast of Scotland.

In his memory two close friends, Sam Bishop and Ross Griffiths, decided to take a cycle ride from Flt Lt Sanders’ base in Lossiemouth to their home city of Hereford in just six days.

Hitting the 500-mile mark as they turned the corner into the Hereford City Sports car park last Friday, the duo were met by a crowd of friends and family.

“I got a bit emotional coming up to the finish,” said Ross.

Both went into the challenge with limited experience in the saddle. They trained separately, often on spinning bikes, coming together on weekends for only a handful of longrange rides ahead of their departure.

And they would be first to admit they were not built for long-distance cycling – both are front-row rugby players now proudly displaying some impressive tanlines beneath the Hereford RFC and Greyhound RFC shorts they wore for the duration of the cycle. Yet the pair averaged more than 85 miles a day taking on the Scottish highlands, the Lake District and, with just eight miles to go, Dinmore Hill.

“There were only two times when I genuinely felt like I couldn’t carry on,”

said Sam. “There was a long climb in the Lakes when were doing about 4mph for an hour, and then on the second last day – it’s all mental though, you just tell your body you’ve got to get there.”

One of the high points of the ride saw the boys walking out on the turf at Flt Lt Sanders’ much-loved Wigan FC.

The pair were followed throughout by Ross’ dad Barry, who drove a support van stocked with bananas, water and spares from Chaingang cycles. And with their legs at their heaviest, the pair were joined by a group of 10 friends and family, led by Sam’s dad Colin, who saw the pair home over the final last 12 miles.

The ride has already raised more than £2,000 for Help the Heroes and Regain Sports Charity, but donations can still be made by visiting justgiving.com/ bish-and-rosco Sam and Ross are also hosting a charity ball on August 17 at Hereford Shire Hall that features music from Gemma Roberts. To buy tickets, call Dominique Griffiths on 07545 628157.