Two university students are among cyclists planning to ride around the shores of the Baltic Sea in aid of charity.

Roland Partridge and Ian Wellock came up with the idea for the 3,200-mile Baltic Cycle Challenge to raise £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

The young men, who live in Oakworth and nearby Newsholme, both attend the University of Edinburgh.

They recruited fellow Edinburgh students, as well as friends studying in Oxford, London and Aberystwyth.

Eight cyclists - some are pictured above - will ride in relays through nine countries in just 14 days this July.

They must average almost 10 miles per hour as they ride from and back to Hamburg, in Germany, by way of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

They will be aided by the fact that daylight lasts almost the full 24 hours in the northern part of the Baltic region.

The cyclists and their four support workers will operate in two teams taking turns to ride, drive, navigate and rest.

One of the riders will be in the saddle every moment of the day and night, and the teams will swap with each other at intervals.

British embassies in each of the countries have approved the team's route and, following advice, it will bypass the Russian state of Kalliningrad.

Roland says the Baltic was chosen because it has not previously been used for a long-distance cycle ride.

He says: "We can claim a world record so long as we finish it. It's something I'd wanted to do for a while.

"Within the team we have speakers of Russian, French, German and Polish, so communication with the host countries presents little problem."

The cyclists are currently approaching companies for donations of bicycles, support vehicles, mobile phones, clothing and energy food.

They are also seeking sponsorship from Keighley people and businesses in order to reach their target of £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

The charity was chosen because several of the cyclists are medical students who say they are acutely aware of the value of the foundation's work.

The riders will wear heart rate monitors during some of the event, collecting data on heart rate variability during endurance exercise, as part of a University of Edinburgh study.

Anyone willing to support the Baltic Cycle Challenge can pledge a donation by phoning 0131 226 3705, or take a cheque, made payable to the British Heart Foundation, to the Keighley News office in North Street.

Roland can be contacted at 18 New House Farm, Sykes Lane, Oakworth BD22 7JW, phone him on 0131 228 6908 or 01535 643206.

He can also be contacted through his e-mail address (RolandPartridge@Hotmail.com).

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.