300km on a bike, two countries, 24 hours - sounds a mammoth task, but that’s exactly what Annie Rossiter and Jo Carlile achieved at the weekend.

They were among 120 nervous riders taking part in a sportive between two of the world’s most iconic cities, London and Paris.

“We started at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, late afternoon on Saturday and arrived at Folkstone for a well-earned fish and chip supper after riding the last 20 miles in the dark on challenging country lanes,” the pair told us this week.

“Before we knew it, we were being transferred onto the Euro tunnel to start the second leg of our journey - with no sleep,” they continued.

“Setting off still in darkness for the first few hours, it was a fabulous sight to see the French sunrise, winding our way through little towns and villages.

“And what’s more, what a wonderful sight and lift in our spirits it was to see Annie’s husband Jeremy and daughter Katy holding a Welsh flag and cheering us on in the town of Vernon.

“With 50 miles still to go, we battled on fighting a head wind, a few demanding climbs, but all still smiling, with Paris in our grasp.

“The last 25 miles were emotionally and physically demanding; we were exhausted, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower to lift our spirits whilst dealing with the crazy Paris city traffic. We literally turned a corner and there it was, the champagne and the finish line - just as the heavens opened and gale force wind blew!

“We were delighted to see our husbands, Jeremy and Lee, and Annie’s daughter Katy. ”

The duo added: “A big thank you to the event organiser, Sophie Radcliffe, and the support team, who were amazing, keeping us fed and watered thoughout the 200 miles and putting up with our Pembrokeshire wit. We were always easy to spot as we had Welsh flags attached to our bikes, in fact, we were soon named as the dragons!

“We’re elated that we completed this challenge with only five months of training. A big thank you again to all our family and friends for your continued support. We are so proud that we have raised nearly £2,000 for Cancer Research and our Just Giving page is still open if anyone would still like to donate.

“Also pictured is our friend Evie Fowke who was cycling in aid of Air Ambulance Wales and not in the picture our friends and fellow cyclists, Caroline Cumberlin and Ceri Derrington.”

Anne and Jo were two of the most unlikely people to do this epic challenge, which is why they thought it would be a great challenge. They decided to take part in aid of Cancer Research UK as they both have so many friends and family who have been greatly affected by cancer.

Annie and Jo’s motto was ‘we can do it’ and they certainly did, proudly earning their medal and the ultimate bragging rights to one of the top cycling challenges.

Donations can be pledged via their JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joandannielondontoparis or you can text JALP99 followed by your donation amount (ie JALP99£5) to 70070.