ACHES, pains, and sore knees did not stop two cyclists completing their charity challenge from one end of the UK to the other.

After 12 days in the saddle, friends Mark Crick, right, and Steve Parker, left, both 39, finished their ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats last week.

The duo raised £7,000 for two Oxfordshire charities – £1,000 more than they originally hoped.

They trained up to four days a week for six months in preparation for their 1,017-mile trek from Cornwall to the North of Scotland.

Mr Crick, of Denchworth, and Mr Parker, of Mallard Way, Grove, stayed positive, despite painful knees and ankle problems.

Mr Crick said: “The pains from our joints and the continuous rainful couldn’t dampen our spirits.”

The pair, who set off from Land’s End on May 15, arrived at Betty Hill, John O’Groats, on Wednesday, May 27.

Mr Parker, a taxi driver for Priors Cars, saddled up in aid of the Oxford Children’s Hospital, while Mr Crick, a self employed electrical engineer, did it for Sobell House Hospice, at the Churchill Hospital, in Oxford.

Mr Crick said: “I have lots of fond memories of meeting kind people.

“It was an experience I shall cherish forever.”

To donate, visit the men's web pages.