Friends Dean Burry and Dan Taylor will attempt to ride an impressive 900 miles from Milan in Italy to their home town of Calne later this month.

The pair, both 25, hope to raise more than £600 for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and are aiming to ride roughly 100 miles a day in two weeks, with three rest days thrown in for good measure.

Mr Burry, of Fynamore Gardens, who works for a sealant company, said he is looking forward to the adventure which begins tomorrow.

“We’ve been doing a lot of cycling in preparation for it, but this is my first time doing anything like this,” he said.

“Dan has done a few rides like this before, but I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully it will all go well. I had an injury a few weeks back but, touch wood, it is all ok now.

“It started off just as a bit of fun really, and we talked about it a lot, but it wasn’t until a couple of months ago we decided to make the route a lot longer and support the air ambulance.

“It is a great local cause and I’m sure most people have used it, or know people who have depended on it at some point in their lives.”

The pair will fly to Milan before embarking on the journey home through the Alps, into Switzerland, through France to Dieppe, catch the ferry to Newhaven then cycle back to Calne.

The route will also take them along the Col Du Grand St Bernard, one of the highest roads in Europe, at 30.6km long with an average gradient of 5.7 per cent and reaching a peak of 2469m.

“It is going to be pretty tough but I am definitely most looking forward to the Col Du Grand St Bernard,” Mr Burry said.

“We will camp out each night – our bikes are all kitted out ready – and we are hoping to have three rest days, because we both work, and it’s not really going to be much of a holiday so we want to give ourselves a little bit of a break.”

To sponsor the pair, visit www.justgiving.com/milan-to-calne