Two Oxfordshire teenagers are gearing up for an attempt to break the record for the fastest bike ride from Land's End to John O'Groats by a team of under-18s.

Liam Smith and Will Lloyd, both 16, will tackle the mammoth cycle in aid of the British Heart Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care in August.

Liam, from Grove, and Will, from Buckland, near Faringdon, need to complete the near 1,000-mile journey in under 10 days and 12 hours to set a new record.

The friends, who both go to Abingdon School, first thought of the idea in February.

Liam said: "I am more into mountain biking and Will prefers road riding, but I have really got into it since he suggested we do this.

"We both wanted to do something worthwhile in the summer after our GCSEs."

Liam said: "At the moment we are training at the gym and doing long rides of about 60 or 70 miles at the weekends.

"We are a bit anxious because neither of us has done anything like this before, but at the moment we are pretty confident we can beat the record.

"My father is going to be driving a support vehicle, so we won't have to carry too much stuff on the bikes."

The duo have set themselves a target of raising £4,000 for their chosen charities - and are already close to achieving it.

Liam said: "We have currently raised about £3,000, but we are hoping to get £2,000 for each charity.

"I lost my grandfather to heart problems five or six years ago and a few of my parents' friends have had cancer - it is something which affects many people."

The First Drop Gym in Grove has given the boys free membership, Ridgeway Volkswagen in Wantage is providing the support vehicle, and Faringdon and District 41 Club has also stumped up about £1,000 for accommodation.

To sponsor the boys, see www.bikelejog.co.uk or email liam@bikelejog.co.uk