Father and son, 12, cycle back from Spain

A 12-YEAR-OLD boy and his dad have completed an epic 1,000-mile cycle ride from Spain to Clevedon ahead of them returning to settle in the seaside resort.

Richard Anthony and his dad David, 46, set off on the ride from Valencia on July 6 and arrived back in Clevedon 19 days later.

David had done a similar cycle before and Richard over the years had pestered him to do another, and take him with him.

Software engineer David and his family are due to move back to Clevedon at the end of August after living in Valencia for seven years.

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So they decided that now Richard was 12, he was old enough to have his own adventure across the continent.

The pair covered around 50 miles a day, stopping off at different campsites along the route, enjoying the different cuisine each country had to offer.

After starting in Valencia they went on to Teruel then to Zaragoza then onto the Pyrenees before heading through France to Bordeaux.

They then went to La Rochelle and up to Brittany, Normandy and Cherbourg before catching the ferry to Portsmouth for the English leg of their journey which took two days.

The pair will return to Valencia in a few days, but when they return for good they will be using a more normal mode of transport, leaving the bikes at home.

David said: "I have always been into cycle touring and did a similar route about 20 years ago.

"I started to tell Richard stories about my trip when he was about seven and since then he wanted to do the same.

"I said that when he reached the age of 12 we would do it together."

Richard, who is due to start at Clevedon Community School when he returns to England, described the cycle as an amazing challenge.

He said: "It's a great feeling to have done something like this and I am glad I had my special cycling shorts on because it stopped me getting so saddle sore.

"We have been through deserts where it was so hot the road melted, through mountains still covered in snow through to the French vineyards and rivers."

The pair were met at Clevedon pier by Richard's grandparents Robert and Brenda and it was the first time they had seen the pair in six months.