Three friends who took a Boris bike to scale a Tour de France landmark in a day returned it with just 22 seconds to spare.

Cyclists Ian Laurie, Matthew Winstone, and Robert Holden grabbed a bike from New Kent Road in Southwark at 3.58am on October 26.
 

They have now published a self-made documentary about the feat (Airspace Media/YouTube)

They paid the £2 daily hire charge and, with the bike in the back of a van, drove to Mont Ventoux – the most daunting peak on the Tour de France.

The bike was returned at 3.57am the next day, just in time to avoid the £150 Transport for London fee for going over the 24 hour limit.

Filmmaker Ian Laurie, from Kingston, said: “The only real thing we could do was see if we got the fine or not.

“I never for one second thought that we would be that close.

“We were the last vehicle that was allowed on the Euro Tunnel going back. Then it was ten minutes late.”

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Robert Holden during his climb up Mont Ventoux

The trio had to contend with motorway traffic, unfamiliar roads, and of course the gruelling 6,000ft climb up Mont Ventoux.

Mr Holden wrestled the 23kg bike up the mountain, dubbed “a god of evil” by French philosopher Roland Barthes, in just under three hours.

The friends also beat their goal of raising £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Mr Laurie said: “The charity thing was very much one of the reasons for doing it. It would be a waste not to raise money."