Cyclist Rob Moneta has cycled the equivalent height of Everest on his way to raising more than £12,500 for charity.

He cycled up and down Ballakilpheric 70 times to match the vertical ascent of the world’s tallest mountain which stands at 8,848 metres.

In doing so, he also blitzed two other targets - completing the course well within his 24-hour target, doing so in 16-and-a-half-hours, and surpassing his fundraising target of £10,000 as he raised a total of £12,700 for Cruse Bereavement Care Isle of Man.

Rob, who works at Bikestyle in Douglas, said: ’The challenge was one that appealed to me. Pick any climb and ride repeatedly until you have notched up the vertical metres all in one go. A big thank you to everyone who supported me.

’Through speaking to Amanda Cafearo I learned about the exceptional bereavement support Cruse offers in the island and the rest is history. Clearly the demand for bereavement support is rising so the work is much-needed and vital to the wellbeing of our community.’

Cruse helps people deal with grief through one-to-one sessions, groups and telephone support. Its team also delivers training to help increase confidence to those working with bereaved groups and individuals.

Amanda Cafearo, Cruse chief executive said: ’It was a superb effort by Rob - he really did smash it in more ways than one. To raise such a fantastic amount for the charity is invaluable and we can’t thank him enough for his mammoth efforts.

’Rob’s fundraising will make such a big difference towards our work and, if there are any other sportsmen or women who would be interested in helping us raise funds in the future, we would love to hear from them and support them in their challenge.’