THE legacy of teenager motorcyclist killed in Runcorn lives on after a close family friend vowed to complete a charity cycle in his memory.

AA patrol worker Tony Rich from Warrington is gearing up for the challenge after 19-year-old Jack Bellis was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in October 2012 on Warrington Road.

Tony, 46, will attempt to cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats in just nine days, starting his challenge on Friday, September 2. 

To meet his target he will need to cycle around 100 miles every day with no rest days in between to recover.  

His wife Michelle will be on hand to support him as she will be following him all the way in an AA van. 

The challenge is the latest effort from Tony to support the AA Think Bikes campaign and fundraise for the Jack Bellis Double Take memorial fund. 

He said: “The training started out hard and has just got harder but I am determined to do it and I know that thinking about Jack and the campaign will keep me going when it gets tough.

“I am so proud of how the campaign has gone and I want to make sure I do everything I can to keep it going.

“Think Bikes reinforces awareness that our roads are shared spaces and it’s certainly something I am very aware of when I’m on a bike for eight or nine hours a day.”

Think Bikes began after Tony had the idea of small stickers for the side mirrors of a vehicle to remind drivers to do a ‘double-take’.

The Think Bikes campaign started out as a legacy to Jack Bellis before Tony approached the AA, his employer, for support. 

The campaign was launched following funding from the AA Charitable Trust in 2014 with the support of north-west sporting stars Chris Boardman and John McGuinness.

Tony has since received the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Road Safety Award for the AA Think Bikes campaign

“It is hard to believe how the campaign has gone from strength to strength since it launched.

“I am so pleased we have been able to achieve something positive from such an awful event," he said.

Tony is self-funding the ride and is looking for any support from businesses. 

Individuals can also support him by sponsoring him online at jackbellisdoubletake.uk. 

Think Bikes stickers are available free of charge to organisations and individuals by emailing publicaffairs@theaa.com.