A NEWPORT couple plan an epic 10,000-mile ride through Europe and Latin America on a bicycle made for two.

Cycle-lovers Huw Vaug-han-Davies and Gwenaelle Dupuy (pictured) leave St Davids in Pembrokeshire in September to embark on a 15-month tandem ride that will take them via Newport's Transporter Bridge to France and Spain and then to Cuba and Argentina.

Mr Vaughan-Davies and Ms Dupuy, of Usk Street, Newport, will tour the Argentine province of Patagonia before riding the length of South America from Tierra del Feugo, on the southern tip of the continent, to Ecuador on the Equator.

Mr Vaughan-Davies is looking forward to visiting the Welsh-speaking sheep farmers of Trelew in Patagonia, despite the province's reputation as one of the most remote and stormy regions in the world.

"The winds in Patagonia are the most insistent and strongest in the world and we've heard about cyclists being blown off or being unable to move forwards due to the sheer force of the blast," said the 30-year-old occupational hygienist.

"But we are looking forward to some Welsh hospitality and a nice cup of tea."

The couple, who decided to raise money for the Red Cross while they take part in their dream trip, will pass the volcanoes and salt lakes of Bolivia, the high Andes of Chile and Peru, and the rain forests of Ecuador, and take in Lake Titicaca.

They will also visit the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu.

Ms Dupuy, a French teacher at Caerleon Compre-hensive School, said: "We've got a very good bike and have bought excellent equipment to survive and take on the challenges of nature."

But how will the couple cope, pedalling together for 15 months? Ms Dupuy, 31, said: "I don't think we will row more than in normal life.

"We are going to be in harmony with nature, we've got all these challenges to overcome, and we think this will make us stronger."