Jane Tomlinson has run a series of gruelling races

Mrs Tomlinson, of Rothwell, Leeds, has completed 209 miles of a 2,500 mile journey from Rome to West Yorkshire.

After leaving a busy Rome on Monday, Jane and her brother Luke Goward slogged their way over 4,500ft of hills with the highest peak at 2,000 ft.

The cancer in her lower back makes getting on and off the bike painful.

Wet weather

The first day in the saddle had, in riding terms, been easy for the pair but the size of the climbs had brought the enormity of the task into sharp focus.

Jane said she felt the riding was easy, but the process of getting on and off the machine was difficult due to the cancer.

Day two brought the duo into Pienze, a utopian "new town" with surrounding scenery similar to the Yorkshire Dales.

Only the wet and misty weather encroached on the enthusiasm for the 80-mile section which proved less severe than those of the previous day.

The first week of the trip will take them through most of Italy

By Wednesday the crew had made the short dash to Siena, a trip of 35 miles, which Jane's husband Mike said was a distance "barely more than Jane can run".

With the trip rattled off in just over two hours the idea had been for Jane to realise an ambition to "sip espressos in the Piazza del Campo before climbing the 330ft bell tower of the Palazzo Pubblico to the take in the views of the city."

Technical gremlins saw the riders miss dinner and consistent torrential rain left Jane "thoroughly miserable".

A 49-mile burst through the Tuscan hills from Siena to Florence was the highlight of the week for the couple.

Although Jane had suffered feeling unwell in midweek, her health improved and she and Luke walked across the Ponte Vecchio and climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo.

By now 209 miles of the 2,500 had been covered and there was a sense of anticipation the difficult days were about to start.