FOUR intrepid women are off to Cuba, for a challenging cycle ride in the hot, humid sun, all in the name of a women s charity. Julie Bruce-Smith and Alex Lye from Stebbing will be joined by Bev Drake from Shalford, and Alex Gregory from High Roding for a

FOUR intrepid women are off to Cuba, for a challenging cycle ride in the hot, humid sun, all in the name of a women's charity.

Julie Bruce-Smith and Alex Lye from Stebbing will be joined by Bev Drake from Shalford, and Alex Gregory from High Roding for a 375 mile, five-day journey from the Bay of Pigs right across the tropical island.

Ms Gregory explains: "We need to raise £12,000 between us before Christmas in order to take part.

"But we really want to do it and have already been training really hard in preparation."

The event starts in March next year, but the girls need to raise the cash before the registration finishes. All the money will go towards the Women for Women charity, which is committed to improving serious conditions that can affect women and their babies.

Ms Gregory said: "We are all at a time in our lives where we want a real challenge, and this definitely will be that.

"The most challenging part is likely to be the heat and humidity over there. But also some of it is quite hilly and we can expect some really tough climbs.

"We are all very much looking forward to seeing the sights and sounds of the island though, because we will largely be off the tourist trail and hopefully get to see what life is really like in Cuba."

The girls will be stopping off at youth hostels and budget hotels to nurse their weary limbs in between whole days on the bikes, and with distances varying from day to day the girls will know what to expect.

"The longest day is 80km," said Ms Gregory, "so we expect that to be largely flat, or if we are lucky - downhill. But the first day we have been told that we are starting off on sand for a 10k uphill trek, I think we all agree that it will be nice to get that out of the way."

The girls paid tribute to their friends and family who have sponsored them so far, in-particular pub owner Jono Clark, from The Swan in Felsted, who has contributed to their cause.

To sponsor the girls visit www.justgiving.com/alexandragregory1