ONE of the UK's most innovative cycling experience and holiday companies has parked its bike in Malvern.

Greenrock, which is run by husband and wife team Joe and Laura Mearns, had relocated from Portsmouth, where the couple lived on a barge, to new headquarters in Croft Bank, West Malvern, to be more central for their operation.

Mr and Mrs Mearns have more than 50 years adventure travel experience between them and specialise in running cycling and trekking tours across the globe. Mr Mearns has been running international bike rides since 1990 when he designed and rode what has become the foundation for all future Greenrock rides, a 1220-mile cycle challenge from Warsaw to London via Paris for Marie Curie Cancer Care. While his wife is a former Rough Guide travel writer and photographer, and author of Himalaya by Bike, a guidebook to cycling independently through the Himalayas.

The couple met in 2006 on the cycle challenge the Tour de Force, which follows the Tour de France. Mrs Mearns was taking part in the challenge and her future husband was helping to organise it.

"Our daughter Indie was born last year and shortly after we moved to Malvern," said Mr Mearns. "We wanted to live somewhere more central where we could continue our active lifestyles and we can see the potential for running events in the area."

The Greenock programme has challenges for all abilities, from the Isle of Man CC, the only cycling sportive on the world famous TT mountain course, to the gruelling ultra-cycling event the Race Across Europe, during which cyclists ride nearly 3000 miles across seven countries. Currently the company is looking for support crew volunteers for the Across Europe event, which starts on Sunday, August 23. Mr Mearns explained: "Being a member of a support crew is a challenge in itself and the crew are key to any entrant’s success. The race is a once-in-a-lifetime cycle challenge featuring the very best of riding in Europe. Riders and their crew set off from Calais and cycle to Gibraltar through France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Spain with as few rest stops as possible. This requires cycling through the night, exceptional teamwork, stamina, energy and a strategy to succeed."