A Suffolk fundraiser is taking on an epic cycling challenge – from London to the very southeastern edge of France.

Charles Russell set off from the nation’s capital on Thursday with little more than his bike, a tent and two water bottles.

The 27-year-old, from Aldeburgh, is aiming to cover 1,100 kilometres (683.5 miles) in nine days to reach Cotignac, Provence, and raise thousands for Cancer Research UK.

Mr Russell, who lost his mother, Jilly, to breast cancer in 2013, is taking on the challenge just 10 months after a injuring his leg in a boating accident. He still has only limited feeling in his thigh.

Having crossed the Channel from Newhaven to Dieppe, Mr Russell’s journey sees him snake through France in stifling heat – covering about 112km (70m) every day, before reaching Cotignac on Saturday, June 24.

Last summer, he was among friends and family of Charlotte ‘Boo’ Van Der Noot, cycling from London to Aldeburgh in her memory, to raise awareness of depression, and money for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust.

Mr Russell, who is on course to double his fundraising target of £5,000, said: “I didn’t realise people would be so receptive to the challenge. Now, the sky’s the limit.

“London to Aldeburgh was the longest distance I’d ridden before.

“I was meant to do this last year, but had an accident on the river and smashed my leg, which needed surgery. It was a setback.”

Mr Russell will be camping along the way and expects a few obstacles to appear in his path – but hopes to reach his destination without puncturing a tyre.

He was 12 when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, which returned in 2007, following surgery and radiotherapy. Two years later, it was discovered that the cancer had spread. On June 2, 2013, Jilly lost her fight against the disease, aged 60.

On his JustGiving fundraising page, Mr Russell wrote: “That Sunday evening was the moment a keystone was removed from a family and it’s impossible for anything to be the same again.

“A whole family dynamic involuntarily shifted. It’s final, there’s no trial period, you just have to come to terms with it.

“This is my experience. I’m sure many of you will have you own. In this fabulous 21st century, we’ve really got to beat cancer.”

Visit justgiving.com to read more about his challenge and show your support.