BBC News is following the progress of a charity cycling team who are cycling 1,000km (600 miles) along the Western Front Way. They are pedalling with blind fundraiser Dave Heeley, from West Bromwich. Halfway through the trip, which is raising funds for the Albion Foundation, we asked the riders to reflect on the first four days in the saddle.
"I think we started off as individuals, but we found a team really quickly. I was maybe a bit naive, I didn’t realise how bad it would be on some of the trails and they are very awkward. I don’t really think about the distance we have left to go. I just think about the next pedal stroke," said tandem pilot Steve Dugmore.
Cyclists travelling through France are facing an emotional test of endurance, as they pay their respects to thousands of men killed in World War One.
Team Blind Dave, led by West Bromwich fundraiser Dave Heeley, have completed four days of their seven-day challenge to cycle 1,000km (600 miles) along the Western Front Way through France and Belgium.
Their ambition is to raise £80,000 for the Albion Foundation, but also to honour the many victims of the 1914-1918 conflict.
The war claimed the lives of 17m people and the Western Front Way is punctuated with dozens of war cemeteries, where crosses sometimes stretch as far as the eye can see.
"Blind Dave" Heeley relies on a "running commentary" from his fellow riders as they pedal through the French countryside
The team has presented wooden crosses at two cemeteries so far.
The first visit was to Cernay where more than 8,500 German soldiers are buried.
Cyclist Alan Carmichael, a retired major in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, led the tributes at the cemetery.
Charity cyclists pay respects to German war dead
The cemetery was built in 1920 to bring together the remains of German soldiers from across southern Alsace
"The riders have been brilliant, as individuals and as a team," said Mr Heeley.
"I am so proud of them for coming on board for a challenge that none of us knew what was ahead of us.
"And I’m so proud of our support staff, including my daughters Grace, Georgie and Dannie."
He added: "It’s physically tough and its emotional seeing all these graves where men lost their lives more than a century ago."
On Tuesday, the team visited Fleury-devant-Douaumont National Cemetery which holds the remains of soldiers who died during the battles to defend Verdun between 1914 and 1918
The cemetery has 16,000 graves and a Muslim sector with a further 592 graves
On Monday, the team visited Montsec Monument, which commemorates the capture of St Mihiel Salient by the US First Army in 1918.
Remnants of war litter the countryside and the team visited this German trench hospital, deep in woodland near Saint-Mihiel
After three glorious days weather-wise, the team was confronted with driving rain on Tuesday as very poor cycling conditions hampered their progress to Reims
The dismal weather contributed to some members of Team Blind Dave spending more than 12 hours riding on Tuesday
