It could be the biggest mistake of my life but it was a challenge I had to accept.

As The Argus Appeal entered its 50^th year I wanted to do something special to celebrate the occasion.

As you can imagine there was no shortage of suggestions. Some were genuine and tempting, while others displayed a surprising sadistic streak among my friends and colleagues who seemed keen to see me suffer.

Determined to “do my bit” during this special year for the Appeal I decided to do something that fell between the two extremes – in a moment of madness I agreed to join the 50-odd strong band of cyclist who annually ride from Brighton to Paris in August.

It really did seem like a good idea at the time. Spread over three days, and with all day to complete each stage, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Should it?

Well, several weeks into my training, I can tell you that it’s proved far harder than I ever imagined. In years gone by I played a lot of sport. Football, cricket, squash to name just a few, and I expected this cycle challenge to be exactly that – a challenge, but one that would not prove too taxing with a little bit of training.

What I have discovered is the complete opposite. There is no cheating. The simple fact is that if I don’t put in the miles I will struggle and pride, call it stubbornness, will not allow that.

I can now complete a 25-mile ride. It’s not easy, but I can do it. The hard part now will be transforming that into the 50 miles a day I have to do to reach Paris .

And that is where you come in. I am not doing this for fun. I hope my ride will raise money, and a lot of it, for The Argus Appeal and I am asking every one of you to support me by pledging to sponsor my ride.

Details of how you can do that can be found on this page. Alternatively, write to me at Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton,BN1 8AR.