Five riders from Rapha Condor fine-tuned their preparations for the Tour of Britain alongside 2,000 amateur cyclists on the Prostate Cancer Charity’s South West Tour Ride.

Zak Dempster, Dan Craven, Ben Greenwood, Jon Locke and Darren Lapthorne tackled the lumpy 175km route from Minehead to Teignmouth, which will form stage four of the Tour of Britain.

The quintet will be joined by Kristian House, tenth last year, and Matt Cronshaw for the September 11-18 race.

And Australian Lapthorne insists the ride proved to be the perfect homework for the real deal in seven days time.  

“It was a great day out for us and nice to see the course we’ll ride next week,” said Lapthorne.

“Seeing so many people out there enjoying themselves and taking on the challenge of such a tough stage was really inspiring, well done to all the people who took on the challenge at the weekend.”

Double Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson and Smooth Radio DJ Mark Goodier both tackled the 70km route, one of three distances on offer.

“I did the Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride in London last year, but this event was on a whole new level,” said Thompson.

“As a decathlete I have mastered many sports. It was good to challenge myself with something different. There was one hill in particular that caught out most of the cyclists. It was a pretty tough ride, but it was for a worthwhile cause.

“I am keen to support the charity as their work raises awareness of the disease throughout the country and one little known fact is that African Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop the disease than the rest of the population.

“I would recommend these events to anybody but you will have to train a little.”

Goodier, who clocked two hours, 30 minutes, added: “I thought it was an amazing experience. There was a real community spirit at the start, which was very welcome given the challenge that was facing us.

“It was definitely the most difficult terrain I have ever experienced – and I am just glad to have survived. I was very happy with my two and a half hours.

“This is a very important cause to me for personal reasons as my father-in-law, Bill, died from the disease.

“He was a great man. We need as many men as possible to increase their awareness of prostate cancer, and take control of their health by talking to their doctor about a PSA test.”

For more information visit www.tourride.co.uk