Helen and Mike are all set for big bike adventure

HELEN CLARKSON and Mike Langridge have loved cycling for as long as they can remember.

So when they met and realised their mutual passion for the sport, it really was a match made in heaven.

The pair first crossed paths on dating app Tinder last year, and got their spokes in a spin after realising they shared a lifelong ambition of pedalling across the globe.

And even before their first encounter in person, Helen and Mike had decided to embark on the adventure, and even set a date to leave – April 4 this year.

After a whirlwind nine-month romance, they started planning the trip in tandem.

And on Tuesday, the biking bugs will set off – on bikes they made themselves – for the biggest adventure of their lives.

The 26,000-mile trip will take them through the UK, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, America and back to Britain after 16 months on the road.

And as if it wasn’t a memorable journey enough, they’re set to tie the knot a year into the epic adventure in the stunning surroundings of California’s Yosemite National Park.

Helen, who first took up cycling because it was the easiest and cheapest way to get round London, is planning to have a dress made en-route in Vietnam and hopes she can fit the fancy frock in her backpack.

The pedalling pair will hold their welcome home party in tandem with a wedding reception next summer.

But rather than putting the brakes on there, they’ve also added a charity element to the trip. Having both experienced mental illness in the past, Helen and Mike have set themselves a £26,000 fundraising target (£1 for every mile they cycle) for mental health organisation MIND.

It comes as no surprise coming from the couple who have grabbed life with both hands since hooking up.

Having known each other for just over a year and living together, getting engaged, and planning their wedding and round the world trip, Helen and Mike have squeezed a lifetime of events into a very short space of time.

Planning the round-theworld trip has involved a lot of teamwork, but eventually the beginning of the adventure is upon them.

And when you’re head over handlebars for each other, it’s all part of the cycle of love.