TRAINING on melting tarmac was never part of the plan when one man set out to ride 100 miles in memory of his father.

But following the UK’s recent blast of sunshine and hot temperatures, Mark Waring-Jones' training has been heating up in and around Devizes for the charity challenge.

Mr Waring-Jones, 47, of Littleworth, Pewsey, has gone from the couch to peddling 100 miles to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society, after watching his father deteriorate while suffering with the illness.

Although he himself admits he wasn’t very fit to begin with, he will soon be cycling from the Olympic Park, through the Surrey Hills and finally down the Mall at Buckingham Palace for charity.

He said: “I am very excited but also slightly nervous.

“Two years ago I lost my Father to this horrible disease which strips a person of all normal day to day abilities. He was an ex-Army man with a huge get up and go attitude and it was very sad to see this taken away.

“Training in the heat has been difficult as finding the right time to train as well as working is hard, I either have to go very early in the morning or early afternoon.

“I’ve also had tractors harvesting their crops to contend with early in the morning and even cycled on melted tarmac on the road back to Devizes from Pewsey which causes the bike to become sticky and cars driving past cause bits to fly up into the air, which makes training interesting.”

At the same time as training, he is coordinating the opening of a new accountancy branch in The Parade in Marlborough for Devizes firm JS Weeks & Co.

Mr Waring-Jones is taking part in the Ride 100 challenge on July 29 and has raised £810 of his £1,000 target.