SUPPORTERS of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance are being encouraged to sign up for the Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge 2015.

The challenge is not a race and involves cycling through the countryside of Somerset and Dorset.

It offers two different routes and distances.

For those who like a challenge, the 54-mile cycle starts in Watchet and finishes at West Bay, near Bridport, in Dorset.

With a mixture of quiet back roads, interspersed with some very demanding climbs and equally hairy descents, the event has something to offer for everyone.

For those who do not want to cycle that far, there is a shorter 11-mile route which begins at Drimpton, in Dorset, and also finishes at West Bay.

There are only 600 places and will take place on May 17, 2015.

Bill Sivewright, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance chief executive officer, said: “This will be our fifth year in the saddle and every year the event seems to get better and better.

“With such a demand, there will undoubtedly be those who are disappointed not to gain a place which is why I cannot stress enough, how important it is to register early!”

The online registration opens on December 15 at www.dairambulance.org.uk. Entrance fees are £20 for adults and £10 for under-16s.