A CYCLIST will follow in his late grandfather’s footsteps by making a heroic trip from the D-Day beaches to Berlin.

Robert Glen, 25, is aiming to undertake a sponsored 1,000-mile solo ride from Gold Beach, Normandy, to the German capital in aid of the Cyclists Fighting Cancer charity.

For Mr Glen, who lives in Harwell, it will be a poignant trip in honour of his grandfather, Raymond Gregory, who died in 2017 aged 91.

Mr Gregory was just 17 on June 6, 1944, when he landed on Gold Beach as part of Dorset regiment.

Over the following months fought his way to Berlin to liberate Europe from the Nazis.

Mr Glen said: “The inspiration for this journey started in March 2017 on a family sightseeing trip to Berlin.

“My grandfather had passed away two weeks before our trip and, while in Berlin, I had the crazy idea to follow in his footsteps and a quick bit of research revealed that the 1,000-mile journey would be achievable in two weeks of cycling.”

The trip was scuppered when Mr Glen was knocked off his bike in August last year but now he has pledged to revive it as a way of getting back in the saddle.

And, as he continues to recover from the trauma, the challenge has taken on a new urgency.

He said: “I want to give myself the motivation to get back on the bike after the terrifying experience of sliding down the road watching a car drive towards me with my bike still underneath.

“It also reminded me that there is no time like the present to do what you want to do in life.”

Mr Glen chose to fundraise for the charity, which works with children and young adults living with cancer.

Using specially-adapted bikes and trikes, it helps them to regain their physical and mental strength through cycling.

Some £1,500 has already been raised on a Just Giving web page with Mr Glen aiming to raise £2,000 in total before the trip in September.

This weekend he will be joined by two friends to hold a 12 hour pedalathon in front of Wilko in Didcot’s Market Place to collect donations.

Next month, on August 25, a charity blues night at the Harwellian Club in Harwell village will also be held to further boost the fundraising pot.

To support the cause go to biketoberlin.com