AFTER cycling 240 miles from Abergavenny to Camborne in Cornwall alongside a bright green parrot called Kiki, 74-year-old Mel Sussex had one word to describe his experience - “Brutal!”

The Monmouthshire Golf Club Captain set out last Monday alongside his son Bradley Sussex, son-in-law Mark Edwards, nephew Sam Blowers, and brother-in-law Paul Blowers to raise money for Asthma and Lung UK.

During their epic trek of grunt and groan they were accompanied by Kiki who spent the duration of the ride perched on his owner Paul’s shoulders.

Although Kiki did occasionally get caught up in the spirit of things, flap his wings and fly alongside the riders, for the most part, he was content to sit, chill, and enjoy the scenery as the two-legged creatures huffed and puffed their way through the long and winding roads.

The ride was a charity fundraiser in memory of Mel’s grandson, Gavin Hocking, who tragically died from an asthma attack aged just 17.

Asthma sufferer Mel told the Chronicle, “I’ve spent a lot of time in Cornwall over the years because I’ve got family there, but traveling there by car is a lot different to going by bike. We kept to the back roads and I never realised before just how hilly it is in that neck of the woods. For someone my age it was particularly brutal. The hills were so long.”

To make matters worse, although he’s an individual who always likes to keep fit, Mel couldn’t train leading up to the ride because he had a bad chest infection from March to May and it was touch and go whether he’d make the ride at all.

However, a steady diet of antibiotics and grit saw the oldest member of Team Parrot take his place with the younger members and spread his wings for charity!

“Bradley (34) and Sam (37) are a lot younger than me and could have smashed the ride out of the park. But we all agreed beforehand that we would ride together as a team and they adjusted their speed accordingly,” laughed Mel.

After averaging seven or eight hours per day in the saddle, Mel and the team exceeded their target of raising £5,500 for charity, with more pledges yet to come in at Mel’s Captain’s Charity Day on Friday, June 28.