THE son of a cancer victim was spurred on by the memory of his dad as he cycled all the way to London in three days.

Matthew Clowes organised the ride in aid of Macmillan which saw a group of 17 pedal around 270 miles, setting off from Newton-le-Willows.

After dad Keith passed away aged 59 last November, Matthew, 25, decided to do the challenge in his memory.

The group set off on Maundy Thursday and arrived at the finishing line near Buckingham Palace on Easter Sunday.

A huge flag had been made in Keith’s honour bearing the word: ‘Legend’.

“We raised more than £11,000 in total for Macmillan cancer,” said Matthew.

“The bike ride is something we discussed with him while he was alive and when I told him he said ‘good luck’.

“We knew he wasn’t going to be here for the time of the ride. To me it’s about raising money for a good charity in memory of my dad.”

Matthew added: “My dad was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2011 and was initially told he had weeks to live but he battled on.

“I wanted to do the bike ride in his honour.

“Like many families, who are suffering with cancer, when my dad was first diagnosed it really hit home hard.

“But you grow to live with it and it becomes a part of your daily lives.

“He was the biggest Saints fan and we used to go and we’ve been to Catalans a few times.”

Among the group were five, including Matthew, who work for United Utilities and there were also two ladies driving up in a camper van.

The cyclists were greeted with a hero’s welcome as friends travelled down to celebrate the group completing the trek.

A fundraising charity night had previously been held at the Oak Tree pub on Crow Lane East in March.

n See justgiving.com/fundraising/keithclowes to donate.