A COUPLE will be pushing their bodies to the max this summer as they embark on a 250-mile cycle ride from Dorset to York.

Keen Amber Spadone-Geppert, 24, and Ben Beaumont, 29, will start from the St Leonards Hotel on the A31 – where the pair work as live-in waitress and bar staff – on July 1 and travel along the back roads to the art gallery in York city centre.

The aim of their mammoth cycle challenge is to raise £3,000 for Amnesty International.

Amber said the pair, who are originally from York and will be tying the knot in December next year, expect to complete their cycle ride in five days, notching up to 50 miles a day.

And they will be using a cycling route app on their iPhone to help direct them along the way.

Amber said: “We are complete novices – the last time I was on a bike was about five years ago!

“We started training last week and it’s killing us as we have to train in between split shifts at the hotel.” She added: “We wanted to do something that challenged us personally.

“We are really excited about it but also very nervous because we don’t know what the roads are going to be like. I am sure it will be lots of fun.”

Amber said the charity Amnesty International is close to their hearts after seeing first hand the work they do during their travels around the world.

After a hard day’s cycling, Amber and Ben will be sleeping in comfort each night thanks to their employer Greene King who will be providing them with free dinner bed and breakfast at their hotels along the way.

And the bikes they are using have been donated by Be Alert Wireless Security.

Amber and Ben have already collected £760 in sponsorship. Anyone wishing to donate should visit justgiving.com/ben-amber.