An 86-year-old cyclist will prove age is no boundary when he takes on a marathon challenge to raise cash for the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal.

Grandad Thomas Woods, of East Bowling, Bradford, will pedal 26 miles through the Yorkshire Dales in support of our £1 million fundraising appeal to help scientists pioneer new cancer treatments here in Bradford.

We want to buy researchers at Bradford University’s Institute of Cancer Therapeutics a new mass spectrometer, which will allow them to study the role of proteins in cancer ten times faster than ever before and possibly develop more targeted, less toxic medicines.

Mr Woods, of East Bowling, is the oldest person to sign up for Yorkshire Cancer Research’s new flagship event, The Dales Rider, which offers cyclists the chance to tackle either a 26 or 65-mile route through the region’s countryside.

He said: “We have lost a few members of our family through cancer and that’s the main reason I decided to do it for the T&A Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal.

“I do a bit of cycling and thought it would be a good way to raise funds for a good cause.”

Mr Woods started cycling in 1998 after having an operation on a knee injury sustained while training for the 1996 London Marathon.

“I used to cycle a lot in my late teens and early-20s, and then I got married,” he said.

“I didn’t do any for some time, but in my 40s I took up running and was doing around 35 miles a week.

“After I got my knee injury and had my operation, I was advised not to run anymore, so I took up cycling.

“I’m not part of a club, but I cycle regularly. I went on a ride out to Haworth this weekend. I don’t think I’ll have to do any specific training, but I’m really looking forward to the event.”

The octogenarian featured in the T&A in 2010, when he was the oldest person to sign up for Bradford’s Sky Ride.

Asked whether his age held him back, he said: “You’ve got to keep fit and carry on doing things for as long as you can!”

The Dales Rider will start in Ilkley on Sunday, September 1.

People can chose to support the T&A Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal or Yorkshire Cancer Research, which funds cancer research in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, York and Sheffield.

The entry fee is £20 and includes a T-shirt, fundraising pack, training guide, en-route refreshments and finisher’s certificate. To enter, visit ycr.org.uk/ thedalesrider, or call (01423) 877210.