Cycling-mad James Bottomley, pictured, - who won an amazing battle for life after he was born premature - has peddled like fury to raise cash for Bradford's special-care baby unit which saved him.

The plucky six-year-old weighed only 2lb 4oz when he was born. He spent the next seven weeks in the specialist unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Then a few days after James was allowed home, he was struck down with a life-threatening respiratory virus.

His parents Tracey and Jimmy Bottomley were frantic when their tiny son was taken by ambulance to a specialist hospital in Manchester.

When his condition deteriorated further, he was flown to Glasgow's Yorkhill Children's Hospital to have oxygen pumped directly into his blood because his lungs would not survive the ventilator for much longer.

But he pulled through just in time and did not need the drastic treatment.

"It was such a terrible time, I did not think he would live," said Tracey, of Larch Drive, Odsal. "He just kept stopping breathing. It was Christmas Eve when I held him for the first time in weeks. It was the best present I have ever had."

For his first two years, James made constant trips to hospital. Now he is fit and healthy, filling every spare minute by playing football and riding his bike.

James was joined by his parents and four-year-old sister Louise to cycle from York to Selby and back again yesterday on a disused railway track - a total of 30 miles.

Speaking after his mammoth bike ride James said: "It was good. I enjoyed it all and I got to go down the hills really fast."

Tracey said they had covered almost 33 miles from 10.30am when they set off to finishing at 5.30pm and hope to raise more than £120.

"I cannot believe how well James has done," she said.

"When we stopped for a break I told him we still had a long way to go but it was not until the last two or three miles when he asked how far was left.

"He has no gears and it is such a small bike because he is only two and a half stone, I was exhausted but he was brilliant, he just kept pedalling.

"It is great to be able to put something back to the baby unit because without the staff there James would not have stood a chance.

"When you have a child in the special-care unit, it gives you great hope to know people who have got better."