FORMER Leigh Centurions prop forward Dave Whittle and three rugby mates decided they'd take a few days break away from their daily toil.

But not the easy route of a lazy weekend away for them!

They decided to get on their bikes at John O' Groats and the next thing they knew they were at Land's End!

Well, not quite so simple, as it turned out.

Many bike races feature a yellow leader's jersey - their's had the inscription 'T** OF THE DAY' highlighting the eventful mishaps and incidents they encountered.

Not least of which was when one of them had some very painful blisters in some very delicate parts of his body needing generous applications of cream to the sorest bits, but there weren't many volunteers to apply it!

Dave's most spectacular experience was when he fell off his bike travelling at 25mph near Loch Lomond.

Mark Sayer, one of the other riders said: "It was a great, if painful experience and we were able to raise a bit for charity."

They raised £6,600 which has been donated equally to Wigan & Leigh Hospice, ABC Cancer Fund and Derian House Children's Hospice.

David Hart from Wigan & Leigh Hospice is seen here receiving a cheque on behalf of the three charities.

He said: "We are very grateful to these guys, their support team and sponsors, for raising this magnificent sum. I know that the fun, enjoyment, camaraderie and satisfaction they got, was much greater that the pain."