A PAIR OF Baildon men who cycled 2,000 mile to Spain in memory of the woman they both loved have raised £20,000 in her memory.

And their epic journey was all the more remarkable as cyclist Steve Tindall broke his shoulder in a fall only three days in - but carried on regardless.

Frances Stirk was the sister of Bull’s Head landlord Paul Kearns, 47 and the partner of Mr Tindall, 54 for 23 years before she died from cancer in May 2012, aged 54.

And both men pledged to make it to southern Spain in aid of charities Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Tomas Leighton Care, which benefits an English boy who suffers from cerebral palsy and lives in Benalmadena where their epic journey ended.

"We have just been overwhelmed by people's generosity," said Mr Kearns after an emotion cheque presentation where the charities each received £9,987.44.

"Our target was £15,000, but the money just kept coming in - and it still is.

"This has been at the forefront of everything for us and it was the trip of a lifetime."

But their Rain to Spain efforts nearly ended when Mr Tindall took a tumble 35 miles from Portsmouth.

"He fractured his shoulder, but carried on regardless. He only found out it was broken when he got home and had an X-ray.

"He was in pain, but carried on riding and has now had an operation to pin a bit of chipped bone," said Mr Kearns, who also praised support vehicle drivers Stuart Metcalfe and David Pickles for their efforts.

He said riding though Spain's striking countryside was a highlight of the trip.

"The scenery was amazing although when climbing the Sierra Nevada mountains for three and a half days we thought 'how much longer?'.

"But then we came out of a tunnel and there was a phenomenal seven mile ride down hill as a reward - fantastic.

They averaged 80 miles a day and Mr Kearns said the best riding was along 450 miles of perfect French roads.

"Everyone we met was so kind and helpful - even the police in Barcelona where we got lost without a map and nearly rode on to a motorway.

"Of course it was a very important journey because it's nearly three years since my sister died of cancer and the presentation night at the pub was a really emotional affair," Mr Kearns said.

"Steve and I will continue to raise money for charities, but this was a one-off in that it took us away from our families and businesses for such a long time.

"And it was such a worthwhile thing to do, thanks to the generosity of people in Baildon and beyond."