After pedalling nearly two thousand miles and climbing 3.3 times the height of Everest, tax expert Rob Case might be looking forward to being back in the office – but he has zero regrets for the gruelling challenge he set himself.

Setting out with a hope that he might inspire donations from the challenge that could top £2,000, Rob, 42, has pedalled through the £4,000 barrier and, in doing so, helped raise vital funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a cause close to his heart after he lost two brothers and a friend to cardio-related issues.

Rob, a partner at Shurdington-based tax advisors Randall and Payne LLP, decided to take on Cycling UK's Cathedrals Cycle Route Challenge earlier this year, but he told Punchline-Gloucester.com that he knew from early on that the route, which he broke down into seven separate legs, would be no easy ride.

Rob said: "I live near Stroud, but I'm a runner, not a biker. But after my brother, who was a keen cyclist, died last year, I wanted to do something. So I trained with Stroud Athletic Club's tri-team to get to a point where I thought I would take on this."

Rob's first weekend, in early May, began with Gloucester Cathedral, from where he set his sights on the spires of Hereford, Worcester, Warwick, Coventry and Birmingham. In the ensuing quest to complete the challenge, he said that his average daily ride would clock in at around the 90-mile mark.

"The entire challenge route takes you to all of the 42 cathedrals in England and when you

look at the outliers - places like Carlisle, Newcastle, Norwich and Truro – any suspicion that it will be hard is soon confirmed!"

Breaking the entire challenge into seven weekend sessions, Rob says that the support of friends was crucial, not least colleague Will Abbott, who came along on many sessions to help boost Rob's morale.

And now that it's mission complete, Rob says the biggest takeaway from the experience is the realisation of how lucky we are to live in Gloucestershire: "When you think of our own cathedral and the landscape, the views from places like Whiteshill above Stroud... the challenge took me see so many amazing places, but you realise we have all this natural beaty right on our doorstep.

"It was definitely tough, and in terms of the impact on your body, chamois cream certainly helped! I have a pretty old 2012 Cannondale carbon frame bike, which was up to the job, but which no doubt is out of date. Kit aside though, it is surprising how your body just gets used to a challenge like this."

So does this mean Rob might consider something similar in the future? 

"As a runner, I will definitely enjoy getting back to being on foot, because it's slower so you can take more in. But the tri-team have already been talking to me: they say I just need to perfect the swimming element and then I could do a triathlon!

"It's been great to help CRY and the Just Giving page is still active . I know that the support they provide not only to bereaved families, but also with vitally important screening and research, is crucial, given that every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions."