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Cyclist set to ride 'Tour de France' route on Chopper

Dave Sims on his Raleigh Chopper Credit: ITV Granada

A fitness coach from Southport is set to ride the entire 3,500km Tour de France 2015 route on his Raleigh Chopper. He is currently in training for the gruelling challenge on his bike which is worth just £150.

I always do the Etape du Tour every year and this year I was suffering from a bit of a lack of motivation because I didn’t want to do it on my road bike again or on my mountain bike. So I started thinking ‘what can i do to make the Etape more fun?’ and I thought ‘I’ll do it on a kids bike’ to make it a bit more of a challenge.

– Dave 'Chopper Guy' Sims

Dave who is a member of Middletons cycling club in Ormskirk has completed cycling challenges before but not on a Chopper. He is raising money for Help for Heroes. For further information about Chopper Dave’s epic challenge, visit teamchop.co.uk

See below for Chopper Facts

  • The bike has a choice of a single speed, three gear or five-gear hub. later models had a 10-speed hub.
  • The kick stand was added to give the bike the feel of a motorcycle
  • They cost between £32 and £55
  • A new version of the Chopper was launched in 2004