Superfit cycling policeman Jason Woods has put criminals on notice after turning in a storming time in a gruelling charity race over the French Alps.

He took just two minutes longer than Olympic gold medallist cyclist Chris Boardman to complete the 108 mile Etape Du Tour race, along the most challenging stage of the Tour de France route, and finished one particularly hard stretch 28 minutes faster than the Olympian.

Jason Woods, Ashtead’s neighbourhood officer regularly patrols his patch by bike and his speed and endurance over the French mountains indicates that any wrongdoer is going to have to move pretty fast to get away from him.

PC Woods decided to take part in the race to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and has set himself a target of £2,5000.

Weeks of hard training paid off last Monday allowing him to keep pedalling over six smaller mountains before the final 1,500 metre climb to the famous Mont Ventoux.

He finished the course in just over eight hours having endured scorching conditions of over 40 degrees in the sun and 35 degrees in the shade which had defeated a thousand of his fellow amateur cyclists.

“The road on the Mont Ventoux was littered with casualties suffering from heat exhaustion, with some walking their bikes, and from what I can gather it was even worse towards the end of the field with over a thousand failing to complete the course in the 11 hour deadline.

“It took me 2 hours 17 minutes to ride the 13.5 miles up the Mont Ventoux ( rode up the whole lot - no walking). The first mile and a half were easy, a bit like the slopes of Boxhill, and then it ramped up for 12 relentless miles.

“These were the longest and toughest 12 miles of my life, but incredibly rewarding.

“It was an incredible experience riding in a large group on closed roads with the final mountain being much harder than I imagined.”

Jason has raised just under £2,000 so far and is hoping that some more donations will help him reach his target.

To support him visit www.justgiving.com/jasonwoods1.

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