A CYCLING fan who is trying to ride hundreds of miles for charity got a big boost when he met his hero, Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas.

Chepstow fireman Luke Morrisey is raising cash for the Cycling Down Dementia 2018 Pioneer Challenge.

And when Welsh hero Geraint popped into Chepstow Bookshop to sign copies of his account of winning the Tour on Friday, November 9, Luke couldn’t pass up the chance to meet the superstar.

He said he was “absolutely buzzing” after meeting Geraint and posing for photos with him, and suitably inspired racked up another 23 miles in the saddle later that day.

“I got to meet the legend Geraint Thomas today,” he posted. “So happy I got to meet him and get my book signed.”

Luke, who has lost nearly two stone from bike riding, started his 300-mile cycling challenge at the start of November but is hoping to more than double the distance.

“Thanks for everyone that has donated so far,” said Luke. “I have two particular people very close to me that are unfortunately suffering with Alzheimer’s.

“I look up to these people and all I want to do is help.

“Cycling Down Dementia 2018 The Pioneer Challenge – 300 miles is the challenge I have signed up to but I want to double the miles and ride a minimum of 600 miles – and I’m hoping to raise over £400 before the end of January.”

To support Luke in his bike challenge go to www.cyclingdowndementia.org

Geraint himself is no stranger to Chepstow, as he married wife Sara at the town’s 19th century St Tewdric House before buying it and hiring it out as a wedding venue.

Entitled The Tour According to G: My Journey to the Yellow Jersey, his book is billed as “the inside story of one of the most thrilling and heart-warming tales in sport.”

In a busy promotional schedule, Geraint has swapped the Tour de France for a nationwide book tour and chatted with BBC sports journalist Tom Fordyce for a sell-out audience at Monmouth School’s Blake Theatre later the same day, in an event organised by local bookshop Rossiters.

Among those lucky enough to have a snap taken with the cycling superstar were Harry Randall of Tutshill and Monmouth School for Boys pupil Ben Gibby.

Wyedean School pupil Harry does between six and eight hours of track cycling at the Geraint Thomas Velodrome in Newport.

Geraint told the Review he enjoyed writing the book, which is his second after The World of Cycling According to G.

He said: “You don’t often get the time to reflect so it was good, after the Tour, to go through it all and relive it.”