KEIGHLEY & Craven Athletics Club member Richard Ballantine has added a cycle ride featuring just over 29,000 feet of ascent – the equivalent distance of climbing up Mount Everest – to his growing list of endurance feats.

Having run the Three Peaks and cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats, the head teacher of Keighley-based Parkwood Primary School completed another impressive challenge by riding up and down Cock Hill on Oxenhope Moor – a climb which was part of the Tour de France route in 2014 – an incredible 41 times.

Already this year, the 51-year-old has cycled to Cornwall in 48 hours and tackled a 300-mile Trans-Pennine off-road mountain bike ride.

And Richard, who lives in Haworth, admitted that his latest achievement – completing the cycling endurance craze known as 'Everesting' – was as hard mentally as it was physically.

After reaching the 29,029 feet mark, he said: "What I didn't appreciate is how mentally tough it would be as there is very little variation in what you are doing.

"On a normal cycle ride, you can rest for a bit when you are still riding but in this challenge you are climbing up hill and then flying down it, so there is not much chance to do that.

"It was very taxing and being only a mile and a half away from where I live meant there was also the temptation to not carry on."

Richard, who is also a member of Craven Energy Triathlon Club, began his challenge on the hill – known as Cote de Oxenhope Moor when it was used in the 2014 Grand Depart –

at 3.50am. He completed it the following day around lunchtime the following day, having allowed himself a few hours sleep in between.

Richard was joined en route by several riders, including his wife Karen and numerous club-mates. Their support proved crucial to him achieving his goal.

He said: "I'd only decided to do it a week earlier and my wife posted it on social media the night before.

"At 6.20am the first person drove past me in the car on their way to work to stop and wish me good luck.

"I did about 14 ascents before people began joining me at different times. That was really helpful and I only did about three more by myself.

"My wife was with me on the penultimate and final climb and I was going so slow she was struggling to ride with me!"

Richard admitted 'everything ached' afterwards but said the experience had been worth the pain.

"There was a great sense of achievement", he reflected after completing the 8,848 metres of ascent. "The support people gave me was fantastic and the camaraderie felt really good."

On how his 'Everest' climb compared to some of his other endurance feats, he said: "From a physical and mental point of view, although other rides have taken longer, this was really really really challenging and different. It's good to mix things up a bit."