Man from Dorset cycling from Alaska to Argentina for charity

James Benson-King, 30, known as Benson the Biking Viking, began the challenge on August 7 this year.

The challenge is 18,000 miles, and James believes it will take between eight and 12 months to complete. He is riding from Deadhorse, the northernmost road in Alaska, to Ushuaia in Argentina.

He has made good progress into the self-supported challenge and recently reached Guerrero Negro in Mexico.

He has completed other challenges, like Lands End to John O’Groats in 11 days, and the 205-mile-long Tour de Dorset in 17 hours, but this is his biggest task yet.

James has quit his job to take on this mammoth cycle, something which he says is a "lifelong dream", aiming to raise as much money as he can.

Both James and his father have suffered from heart conditions, with James undergoing two operations at ages eight and 16, before he was given the all clear. Since his second successful operation, James has been looking for ways to raise money for the cause.

He first found out about CRY when a friend at university passed away from an undiagnosed heart condition. The charity aims to prevent sudden deaths by raising awareness, providing heart screening and research and supporting affected families.

James has since raised over £3,500 for the charity across his fundraising efforts, and so far, he has reached £1,483 in his trans-continental challenge.

He hopes to raise £2,500, which will cover a day’s cardiac screening for the charity. His focus is to raise enough money to support as much screening as possible, to find and diagnose any hidden problems in the population.

James is documenting his journey across the Americas through a blog and a vlog on YouTube. Images from the challenge can be found on his Instagram, and the data from his rides on Strava.

To find out more about James’ challenge, and to donate, visit https://gofund.me/c3c19be0