A lecturer is saddling up to take on his biggest challenge yet.

David Lane, who teaches marketing at Leeds Beckett University and is a member of Ravensthorpe Cycling Club is ready to speed across France in one of its most challenging races, the Paris-Brest-Paris long distance route, only put on every four years.

The 1,200km ride runs from the national velodrome of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Montigny-le-Bretonneux to the west coast and back, and must be completed within only 80 hours.

This means he will have to keep cycling day and night, something that he had thought would be “crazy” to do.

David, who lives in Dewsbury, said: “It was something I was aware of but hadn’t considered before late 2014.

“When it last ran in 2011 I’d only just got back on a bike again and if you had asked me then I would have thought you were crazy.

“My motivation is that this is considered one of the key individual rides across the world and one of the biggest–if I hadn’t tried to qualify this year I would have had to wait until 2019.

“I’ve complicated things by booking a B&B on the Wednesday evening, leaving me with 72 hours to complete the ride.

“The plan is to ride the first 600km to Brest without stopping, except for controls.

“At that point I’m planning to sleep for a couple of hours, with a further two hours at the 900km point.”

To prepare for the endurance feat David competed in a series of organised rides of 200, 300, 400 and 600km across several months within specified time scales.

“I rode the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride in June and in addition to the qualifiers, have included other long-distance rides in my training schedule, including Etape du Dales.

“Mental preparation is a key element of these events.

“I see these rides as a time to think rather than something to be endured.”

He has already planned other events including a 80km time trial and a 200km night audax across the Pennines.

“I’d started this event saying to people that I’d do the qualifiers only, with the aim of riding London-Edinburgh-London in 2017”, he said.

“This event is like riding from Land’s End to Inverness in 3 days, so why not make it John ‘O’Groats in 4 in 2016?

Alternatively I could just come to my senses!”