A MAN from Bournemouth will be cycling from Portsmouth to Paris on a Beryl bike to raise awareness of mental health support.

David Haze is an an eight-time world record holder for stand-up paddle boarding but is now setting his sights on cycling as his latest challenge.

He said he will be entering 2024 as a ‘full-time adventurer’ since being employed by tech company, Oscar Propulsion.

To celebrate, David will be completing an adventure every month of the year, starting with a 250km cycle.

“I thought that each month is paddle boarding related and it was only January that I hadn’t thought of anything,” said David.

“I’ve always wanted to cycle to Paris, and because it’s my birthday in January as well, I just thought let’s do it.”

Despite being an avid cyclist in his free time, David said he wanted to make the challenge even harder by completing it on a Beryl bike.

“I train on the bike so I do a lot of cycling, I love to cycle and could cycle anywhere, but 250km on a Beryl bike, that’s going to be a tricky one,” said David.

“It's a bit nerve-wracking because I'll be sitting down and I'm not used to sitting down, I'm always standing up.”

David will be ‘wild camping’ during his journey and said he will be sleeping and cooking on the side of the road.

The cycle will be raising money for Dorset Mind, a mental health charity close to David’s heart.

He aims to raise £504, the equivalent of riding a Beryl bike 250km.

To help him during the challenge, Britannia Ferries has offered to provide David with a free ferry ride to France and back and Beryl will be unlocking one of its bikes for his journey.

A spokesperson for Beryl said: "People and places matter to us, which is why we go beyond shared transport provision and try to make a genuine difference to the areas in which we operate.

"We've been really impressed by David's enthusiasm and concept for his latest challenge, which will raise money for an invaluable local service, so are delighted to be able to support him by letting him use a Beryl bike.

"Our vehicles are designed by cyclists to be as user-friendly and comfortable to ride as possible, so hopefully David can enjoy his trip.

"We wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing his updates along the way."

Donations can be made on the Just Giving page titled ‘Nomadic Cycle 2 Paris for Dorset Mind’.