A Perthshire cyclist was given a hero’s welcome at the end of his world-beating 2,000-mile ride from London to St Petersburg.
Crieff-born Gavin Tiffin took on the gruelling transcontinental challenge in memory of his navy hero grandfather, who fought off Nazi bombardments to deliver supplies to the Soviet Union during the Second World War.
The ride which saw Gavin pedal through 10 countries in three weeks has raised thousands of pounds for healthcare charities.
The 35-year-old who is hospitality manager for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London said his epic voyage got off to a soggy start.
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“The first day was awful,” he said. “We set off on August 13 and 13 people joined me from London to Dover on the first leg. It was about 85 miles and only eight finished.
“We had flash floods and a weather advisory that people were not to go outside unless necessary. We were cycling through thunderstorms. We had accidents and bikes breaking.
“The first week, it was torrential rain through the whole of Europe so it was pretty miserable.”
However, his journey ended on a high note when he was greeted by a group of schoolchildren in Sosnovy Bor, about 50 miles from St Petersburg.
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He was invited to take part in a ceremony to unveil a statue to a local sporting hero. I couldn’t believe the warm welcome that I got and I couldn’t thank the people enough,” Gavin added.
Gavin’s grandfather, Pearson Rodney Tiffin, was an engineer who served on the Arctic Convoys into Russian waters.
Gavin aims to raise £30,000 through online donations for charities MediCinema and Breathe, as well as the Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
The hospital’s director of nursing, Janet Powell, said: “We are so proud of Gavin’s incredible achievements and we can’t wait to welcome him back to London and congratulate him.
“His dedication and commitment to fundraising is an inspiration to us all.
“The money Gavin has raised through his epic cycle to St Petersburg will allow children and young people being treated at Evelina London to experience and benefit from the healing powers of music and the arts.”