They say that charity begins at home, in this case charity began a 4 mile boat trip away

In the early hours of 21st September, three members of the University of Portsmouth Boxing Squad started off on bikes over the hilliest terrain you could possibly imagine.

The course was 70 miles long and circled the entire circumference of the Isle of Wight, rising and falling with the extreme hills - all in the name of charity. 

The event started at 9.00 am and happily began at the peak of the largest hilltop on the island; unbeknown to the cyclists, they would have to make it back up the hill to finish.

There were four checkpoints, one at each corner of the island. The first stint took the cyclists along the coastline and up the seemingly everlasting freshwater hill; the scenery was absolutely stunning, second to none even though the cyclists were probably breathing too hard to enjoy it.

After this there was a lovely ride across to Ryde and then onto Cowes, leaving a very heavy uphill stint to the finish.

The final two miles was a sheer hill climb which each boxer cycled at the fastest capacity possible for individuals who have already completed 68 miles.

Boxing are widely recognised around the AU as the strongest and most dedicated trainers, however on reaching the peak and crossing the finish line, every boxer concluded that they would rather do three rounds with Mike Tyson than the Tour De France.

It was a fun day in all and gave a pleasurable sense of achievement, plus we raised a tidy sum for the British Heart Foundation.

Congratulations to the cyclists Holly Keats, Matt Wilcock and coach Wayne Gardiner.