Jane Tomlinson and her brother have cycled from Rome

The 40-year-old cancer sufferer has just 350 miles to go before she arrives back at her home in Rothwell, Leeds.

She arrived in Folkestone through the Channel Tunnel on Monday, about four weeks after her charity bike ride with her brother Luke Goward, 39, started.

The pair have already cycled across Italy and through France since 3 May. They have raised almost �90,000 so far.

Safe journey

Mrs Tomlinson, who is dying from metastatic breast cancer, is on the final leg of a 2,500 mile cycle journey from Rome to West Yorkshire.

Mrs Tomlinson said: "It's fantastic to be back. We have seven days cycling left and it seems we are pretty close to home now.

Jane Tomlinson has 800 miles left to cycle before she reaches Leeds

"I am quite optimistic that we will make it and just hope that we have a safe journey.

"I have had a few pretty bad days and I am still not very well but I have just increased my painkillers and will attempt to keep going."

As Mrs Tomlinson and her brother were unable to cycle through the tunnel, they decided to drive to Dover in a car and set off cycling to London from there.

During their journey, the pair cycled up the notorious French mountain on their tandem in just two hours and 15 minutes.

She and Luke are no strangers to cycling challenges. They have already completed a 1,060-mile bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End.

In April she completed the London marathon and in March she ran the York half-marathon, only 10 days after finishing an intensive course of chemotherapy.