A CHESHIRE business owner is set to embark on a mammoth 1,600-mile bike ride from his home county all the way down to sunny Spain.

Father-of-two Jonathan Mawby, who owns the Autopoint garage in Knutsford, is taking on the epic challenge in memory of his mother Lee, who was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer, myeloma, back in 2018.

The 44-year-old will pedal off on Friday, May 13 from Altrincham and it will take him around three weeks to reach the finish line in Aguilas, southern Spain.

Knutsford Guardian: Jonathan Mawby will start his journey on Friday, May 13Jonathan Mawby will start his journey on Friday, May 13

He won’t be taking on the challenge completely alone however and will be joined by his sister Sally Silver and dad Mike, who will act as a mini support-vehicle convoy.

Jonathan said: “I'll be cycling around 80 miles a day for 20 consecutive days to ride the 1,600-mile distance - it's going to be tough.

“I'm raising money for Myeloma UK in memory of my lovely mum, Lee, who died on October 5, 2020.

“She had been diagnosed with myeloma in December 2018.

“Myeloma is currently incurable.

“Treatments can be effective at controlling the disease but as I know from Mum's experience, they don't work for all patients.”

Knutsford Guardian: Jonathan Mawby with his mother LeeJonathan Mawby with his mother Lee

Jonathan is hoping to raise £10,000 for the charity as it bids to find a cure for the disease. The cancer occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects more than 24,000 people in the UK.

“My hope is to raise much-needed funds to find kinder, less intrusive treatments and ultimately to find a cure,” he added.

“Any donations will be greatly appreciated.

“I’ve never done something this mad before.

“The timing seemed right to do something in her honour.

“It’s been timed to the second, so if we get a mechanical bike failure we will just have to get moving and get on with it.

“My mum would probably think I’m completely mad.

“She would probably say, ‘Why on Earth would you want to do that for?’.

“It would mean a great deal to hit the target.

“I will get there – whether it’s on one wheel or two.

“I hope it’s on two.”

If you want to support Jonathan in his efforts, you can do via his JustGiving page - justgiving.com/fundraising/altrinchamtoaguilas.