A BIG-HEARTED cyclist is hoping to raise thousands for charity in honour of his friend's son who was diagnosed with cancer on his 16th birthday.

Dave Wallace, 48, is preparing to cycle a whopping 157km through the Brecon Beacons in a bid to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

With event taking place at the end of September, Dave, from Halstead, says he is taking on the gruelling challenge for Freddy, 16, the son of his close friends.

Freddy Osborn, from Sudbury, was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma on his 16th birthday and recently started chemotherapy at the C9 Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at Addenbrookes.

Having just completed his GCSE's, Freddy had been gearing up to start working over the summer.

He even got himself two jobs - one working in a restaurant at the weekends and the other being a labourer during the week.

Freddy has also been given a place at West Suffolk College in September to study Catering as the next stage on his journey to realise his dream of becoming a chef.

But things took a turn for the worse when Freddy noticed a lump on his neck.

It seemingly appeared overnight and, following a hospital visit where he was kept for tests, Freddy was transferred to Addenbrookes for Pet Scans and an MRI.

This resulted in a cancer diagnosis on Freddy's 16th birthday. Subsequent tests confirmed Freddy was suffering from Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Thanks to the quick diagnosis by the teams at West Suffolk Hospital and Addenbrookes, Freddy has now been given the best chance of making a full recovery.

Now cycling enthusiast Dave is going to take on the 157km challenge, which includes the 7,000ft climbing of the Brecon Beacons in the Welsh Dragon Ride sportive held on Sunday, September 26.

So far, his justgiving page has managed to raise an impressive £1,681 in just three days at the time of writing.

The original target of £750 was also blown away in less than two hours.

Dave said: "Whilst it'll be a tough challenge, it won't be anywhere near as gruelling as the treatment Freddy and others are having to undertake.

"I'm quite in to my cycling but I've never done something that has this much climbing.

"I hope that, by asking my friends, family and colleagues to sponsor me, together we can help the C9 Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at Addenbrookes continue to make a difference to the lives of children and teenagers like Freddy and his family.

"Children and young people shouldn’t have to face cancer alone, and every £25 raised could pay for a young person to see a specialist nurse.

"So no matter how small or large the donation I would be eternally grateful for your support – the more we raise, the more it will help me scale those Welsh mountains on September 26 and more importantly, it really will help to make a difference.

"I know that Freddy’s family will also be very pleased as it is such a fantastic ward and one that has already done so much for Freddy and his family and will continue to do so for many more months yet.

"Thank you - your support really does make a difference."

To donate, you can visit JustGiving.com/fundraising/Freddys-story.