Journalist Paul Bull is hoping to take the Andes by storm next year when he takes part in the world's toughest downhill mountain bike challenge.

32-year-old Paul, who is chief reporter at the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, may be more used to spending time at the pub than the gym, but that is all about to change as he has volunteered to take part in the Inca Challenge.

The 1,000km mountain bike race will see him battling with altitudes of up to 6,000 metres as well as diverse temperatures as he cycles from the summit of the volcano Cerro Ulturunco in the Bolivian Andes.

During the race he will cross the Altipano semi-desert and the world's largest dried salt lake, Salar de Uyuni, before crossing into Chile for a final downhill dash across the Atacama Desert to the Pacific coast - while towing up to 25kg of equipment in suspension trailers.

But despite the tough challenge ahead, Paul says he is confident he will be able to complete the course come September - and has already begun training for the event which will also see him to raising cash for the Cirencester Hospital Scanner Appeal and Cancer Research.

He said: "I know the training will be hard but I'm really focused and want to raise as much money as possible.

"I haven't been on a bike since I was teenager and, in keeping with the journalist stereotype, have probably spent a little bit too much time in the pub since then.

"I've got four different personal trainers at the moment who are giving me a complete workover, and every training session is different to the next."

Joining Paul on the three-week adventure will be his childhood friend Gareth Richards, and the duo are hoping to carry out part of their training in the Peak District national park in north Derbyshire.

They will also join other competitors for a week of acclimatisation and technical training in Bolivia, before beginning the challenge on September 9.

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