An inspired cyclist is almost set for his 40,000 kilometre round-the-world challenge – except for a slight hitch.

Gary Taylor will leave from his Ipswich home at the end of February to begin his mission to circumnavigate the globe on two wheels.

However, Mr Taylor has had a setback - he recently broke his tooth on a chip.

“It was just a normal soft chip,” he said.

“I have an appointment on January 31, which leaves me three weeks to get it fixed.”

Sticking to the round-the-world cycling rules as set by the Guinness World Records – he will pedal through two antipodal points on the globe – Jakarta and Bogota.

The 30-year-old has so far raised more than £700 for Colchester charity Re-cycle, which repairs donated bicycles and sends them to poor countries in Africa to offer greater access to food, water, education, health and income.

Mr Taylor said: “I’m terrified really to be honest, but it’s quite a good thing to be worried about. It’s quite a privileged position to be in.”

Taking a relaxed approach to the challenge, Mr Taylor said he had not been training over the Christmas period, and didn’t intend do any before the big launch.

“I will be training as I go, there’s no way I’m not going to be fit when I’m biking every day,” he said. “The only thing I’m going to do is load my bike up fully and do short tests runs making sure everything is secure and not rubbing.”

Mr Taylor will carry everything he needs for his journey, which he expects will take him 12 to 18 months, on his bicycle.

To donate visit www.gearsweneveruse.com