One hundred and ten miles in the saddle and 8500 foot of climbing will be in store for a man setting off on a 970 mile cycle ride today.

Jonnie Cunningham from Northern Ireland is not taking part in the Tour of Britian - that starts in Cornwall tomorrow - but he’s riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise awareness for two very different causes.

The endurance event will take Jonnie through 23 counties in England, Wales, and Scotland passing through many communities that have been affected by flooding including several in the South West, Wessex, West Midlands, and the North West, where Jonnie, as Head of Operations at a flood solutions company, has seen personally the devastation caused. Jonnie tells us:

“Climate change has been evident across the UK this summer with heatwaves, flooding and drought so it is very important to be prepared especially for flooding as a result of extreme rainfall events”

Along with his chosen flood charity Slow the Flow, Jonnie is also raising money for the Robin Menary Foundation for Brain Tumour Research. Robin Menary was the brother-in-law of a work colleague who died aged 38 in 2011. Monies raised will help contribute to the fight against brain cancer this year marking the tenth anniversary of Robin’s death.

When asked about why he wanted to complete this cycle Jonnie said:

“I got back into cycling around five years ago to help with my fitness and instantly fell in love with everything about it. I was looking for a challenge to both push me mentally and physically as well as raise some money for charity along the way. I came across a video on YouTube one evening showing the highlights of the 2019 Deloitte Ride Across Britain and from that moment I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

He will set off from Land’s End making his way to Okehampton for an overnight before setting off for Bath on Day 2. Jonnie knows the southwest well, managing flood schemes for both Cornwall and Devon County Councils.

He said:

“The first day in Cornwall is a big day. It is 110 miles with 8500ft of climbing.”

Follow Jonnie’s journey on Twitter at @Watertight_Int.