AS DAWN broke this morning, four keen cyclists set off on a gruelling 2,080-mile trip from Swindon to Istanbul to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Roger Sommerville, Graham Wood, Peter Molloy and David Brown have spent the past few months training for the journey, which they expect to take five weeks, before a week’s rest in the Turkish capital.

They planned the trip after Graham told the group he wanted to do something different to mark his 60th birthday, which he will celebrate during the journey.

Roger, who at 70 is the most senior member of the team, said he was nervous and has spent the past week deciding what bare essentials he needed to carry on his back for the trip.

“We were in the pub and Graham talked about how he was going to do the trip and I thought it would be a good idea, and suggested we use it to help charity,” he said.

“Very sadly my wife, Barbara, died from motor neurone disease 20 years ago.

"It started with her writing - she was struggling to write - and after everything else was excluded she was diagnosed with it. They don’t know what causes it.

“I still get very emotional about it. In the end, although your mind is still active the only ting you can do for yourself is blink. In the end, she couldn’t communicate anything she was thinking or feeling.”

The quartet will set off this morning from Swindon for Bishops Stortford, before crossing the Channel to Rotterdam on a journey that will take them through Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria.

“We weren’t very sure of the weather. It’s been fairly sunny here over the past few days but because we couldn’t be sure we have booked a number of hotels and hostels to stay at during the trip,” said Roger.

“As we go further south it will get warmer, so we will do some camping then.

“All week I’ve been trying to pack, and I have been constantly been putting things in and out of the bag.

“If you’re going on holiday and you’re flying you can carry an extra sweater or two in case of cold weather, but an extra kilogramme in this case means an extra kilogramme I will have to pedal uphill.”

Donations to MNDA go to support those with the disease, in their daily battle, and to support increasingly effective research into the possible causes.

To support Roger and the team, donate at www.justgiving.com/Roger-Sommerville or by texting CTCE60 followed by the amount you wish to donate to 70070.