Soldiers from the Tidworth-based King's Royal Hussars will be cycling 900 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for the charity ‘Help for Heroes'. The seven men will be swapping Challenger tanks for bicycles and hope to complete the marathon challenge in just six days, starting on 20 July.

Captain Mark Brightwell, who will be second in command of the team, was injured in his hand and leg by a rocket attack during a six month deployment in Iraq last year. Mark, 27, has spent two months at Headley Court, the military rehabilitation centre in Surrey where ‘Help for Heroes' is aiming to build a swimming pool for the use of injured servicemen and women by raising £5 million.

Four members of the team, from left to right, Team leader, Captain Angus Tilney, Sergeant Jeff McParland, Capt Mark Brightwell and Sergeant Ian Smith

The team will begin cycling at 6 am each day and hopes to cover an average of 150 miles a day, with a four-man support team who will accompany them in two vehicles. They will sleep in tents at camp sites and plan to cook their evening meals on camping stoves - one of the team members, Sergeant Ian Smith is a Royal Logistic Corps chef. He is planning plenty of high-carbohydrate meals such as pasta with lots of protein, energy bars and drinks.

Captain Angus Tilney, the team leader said, "It is going to be an enormous challenge - our average daily distance is going to be longer than the longest leg of the Tour de France - but I am confident we will make it." The route will take them from Land's End to Taunton in Somerset, Telford in Staffordshire, up to Kendal in the Lake District and over to border to Edinburgh, Badaguish and finally John O'Groats.