FORMER Nailsworth man George Burrage has completed his epic 2000km cycle ride back the village from his current home in Murcia, Spain.

Mr Burrage, 71, began the trek on Wednesday, May 21, alongside his current neighbour Keith Redgers and were warmly welcomed home by Nailsworth Social Club when they finished the ride on Thursday, June 19.

Nailsworth Mayor Myles Robinson led the celebrations to welcome the heroic duo back home.

Amazingly, until he began training last October, Mr Burrage had not owned a bike since he was 17 but the former Old Bristol Road resident said he feels ‘fantastic’ after finishing the ride.

He said: “It was good fun and a really nice thing to do. I feel fitter now than I have done for years.

“The hardest part was going up the Pyrenees. One day we had an 865 meter climb which was real tough stuff, but getting to the top was fantastic” he added.

The pair spent 18 days on the saddle, and tried to average 75 miles a day. They totalled 105 hours of riding and spent 14,575 meters climbing- a distance doubling that of Mt Everest.

After the gruelling trek the Nailsworth Social Club was an appropriate place to finish the journey. George had been chairman of the club for many years before he left for Spain 11 years ago, shortly after retiring from his job as company director with aviation refuelling solutions company Fluid Transfer.

However the peddling doesn’t stop there for George, who now intends to ride from Santander, Spain back home to Murcia. He also admitted to having dreams of riding back from Stroud to Murcia some point in the future.

Both men were additionally raising money for good causes by doing the ride. Mr Burrage is fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and has so far raised over £1,300. You can donate to George by visiting uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GeorgeBurrage