A 14-YEAR-OLD has become the youngest person ever to complete a gruelling cycling challenge and raise money for charity along the way.

Zak Burgess from Clitheroe attends Ribblesdale High School and has just recently completed the epic Everesting Challenge and is one of the youngest in the world to do so in 28 hours.

The Everesting Challenge is an activity in which cyclists ascend and descend a given hill multiple times in order to reach the altitude of Everest, which is at 29,029 ft.

Zak, who rides for the Green Jersey Cycling Club decided to take on Birdy Brow, Kemple End, which most cyclists only manage once and raised almost £3,000 for charity.

Starting at 5.30 am on July 11 on Saturday morning, cycling through the night and finishing at 9.30am on Sunday, he cycled a total of 122 miles riding up the hill 52 times cumulating a total of 31663ft.

He said: “I've always wanted to challenge myself to do something extremely hard. Ever since I started riding bikes I have learnt a lot about my body and limits I can push."

Weather conditions were at times tough for Zak as he pedalled through the heat of a Saturday afternoon and as darkness fell, so did the cold rain which started to take its toll.

He said: "The biggest challenge was that it was so cold and after speaking to other people, they told me they had hallucinated.

"I did start to talk weird because it does that to you after hours of cycling at night in the cold.

"It was hard to concentrate for 30 hours and the longer I went on, the worse it got, so you have to focus."

As dawn broke, the rain cleared, and Zak gained a renewed energy as the realisation that he was within reaching distance became apparent.

He said: “I hope the money raised can help other people around the world who are less fortunate.

"People in developing countries can spend hours every day walking to get clean water or to reach school or work."

Zak's dad Niels Burgess was delighted to accompany him on his final climb.

He said: "He cycled for 18 hours with breaks to eat and rest, and so many people throughout the day were riding with him until night fell and I got on the bike myself so he was not alone.

"It is an amazing achievement and we are so proud of him."

Zak also raised funds for the charity Re-Cycle (Bikes to Africa) a UK charity who takes used bikes and ships them to rural communities in Africa.

Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman, Patron for the charity Re-Cycle said: “Zak is a true inspiration to the cycling fraternity.

“The Everesting Challenge is a tough cycling event to take on. Zak should be really proud of himself for achieving this and for raising a fantastic amount of money for the charity.

For those wishing to donate, please go to www.gofundme.com/f/zak039s-hill-climb-challenge