Surrey cyclist pays tribute to mum as he sets off for Singapore

A Surrey man is to cycle to Singapore next month on a bike named after his deceased mother.

Despite not training at all since last summer, 31-year-old Dean Haddock will set off from his home in Surbiton at the end of next month on 'Doris.' Oh, and he's going via the Himalayas...

In October 2008 his mum died of breast cancer at the Yorkshire Cancer Centre, so Dean has decided to raise money for other cancer sufferers in Yorkshire, his home county.

Dean is confident he will make the 19,000 kilometre trip and told the Surrey Comet he is looking forward to the challenge.

He said: “The way I see it is it’s going to be hard anyway and I’ll be fit at the end of it.”

Throughout the trip, which he anticipates will take between nine months and a year to complete, he will be totally self-sufficient, sleeping in his tent at the road side, or in woods.

The hills he will cross in Tibet add up to cycling the height of Mount Everest five times, but Mr Haddock, a broadcast operations manager, is determined to do it while he is young.

He said: “One of the roads I will be cycling on in Tibet is closed to foreigners. It’s 2,000km so I will have to sneak through military check points late at night to avoid being turned back. Imagine getting to 1,950 km and then being turned back.”

You can sponsor Mr Haddock, and help him reach his £10,000 target, at www.justgiving.com/london-singapore.