Keighley's intrepid Baltic cyclists were in good spirits this week as they prepared to set off on their 3,200-mile journey.

In an email to the Keighley News from their base camp in Hamburg the charity peddlers laughed off early setbacks.

But they revealed they may be forced to smuggle Oakworth man Roland Partridge, one of the organisers, into Russia.

Eight cyclists are riding in relays through nine European countries in just 14 days this month.

Leading the team are Roland and his fellow University of Edinburgh student Ian Wellock, who lives in Newsholme, near Oakworth.

The pair recruited other Edinburgh students as well as friends studying in Oxford, London and Aberystwyth.

The riders aim to raise £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation by riding a circular route around the Baltic Sea.

They must average 10 miles per hour from and back to Germany by way of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

Roland and Ian have planned the expedition in painstaking detail, gaining approval from British embassies along the route.

But they suffered a setback by losing one of their bags containing Roland's passport, driver's licence and Russian visa, plus one of their GPS navigation devices.

"We may have to smuggle Roland in," jokes a spokesman for the team.

"We are not disheartened, having come to the conclusion it is not a problem and is definitely funny.

"This small hiccup aside, things are going well.

"The team is gelling really well. And everyone is getting to know everyone else."

The team says its two Land Rovers, used by have taken a special place in their hearts. "We have named them Landy and Mandy and on occasion talk to them."

By today the team will have set off from Hamburg and one of the Land Rovers should have reached Poland to set up the first relay camp.

Anyone who wants to support the Baltic Cycle Challenge can take a cheque, made payable to the British Heart Foundation, to the Keighley News office.

Alternatively they can contact Roland's family at 18 New House Farm, Sykes Lane, Oakworth, BD22 7JW, or send an email to rolandpartridge@hotmail.com.