A SCIENCE teacher is to take on a 100-mile cycle challenge to raise money for a charity close to his heart.

Keen cyclist Rob Aspden, who teaches at Consett Academy, will tackle the same route used in the 2012 London Olympics.

On August 2 he will take part in the Ride London-Surrey ride for Alzheimer’s Research UK, leaving Olympic Park in London and racing through the Surrey countryside before finishing on The Mall.

The 34-year-old, from Gateshead, was inspired to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK after seeing his grandfather die with dementia, while his father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease when he was still in his early 60s, and is currently cared for at home.

He said: “My granddad started showing signs of dementia when he was in his early 80s.

“He was one of the most knowledgeable and interesting 80-year-olds you could meet, but within two years of developing dementia he was a shell of his old self.

“He went downhill so rapidly and by the end, he didn’t really know anybody.

“That was hard to go through, and it’s horrendous to see what Alzheimer’s disease is doing to my dad now.

“He was always so intelligent and outgoing, and he’s now become very introverted and it’s very difficult to see the change in him.

“It’s had a huge impact on my mum, who’s amazing and has given up her life to be his full-time carer.

He added: “This horrible condition has had a huge impact on two great men in my family and I want to do everything I can to tackle it, so I hope to raise as much as possible with this challenge”.

To sponsor Rob, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobAspdenRideLondon