A Wolverhampton school student is swapping his paper round for the streets of the capital as he gears himself up for his latest challenge on the bike: the Prudential RideLondon.

Andre Meads, who studies at North East Wolverhampton Academy, has spent the last two years delivering papers around the area, and is now keen to take his cycling abilities to the next level.

The 17-year-old will be among thousands taking to the start line for the Prudential RideLondon 100, riding 100 miles in the world’s biggest cycling festival, taking in the iconic sights on completely traffic-free roads on July 30.

Meads was also at the regional launch of the 2017 PruGOals programme in Birmingham, where he was joined by double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, and left in awe at meeting a gold medallist while ready to take on a completely new challenge on the bike.

“The Prudential RideLondon is a really exciting project and I love biking, so I want to be able to complete the ride and feel like I’ve competed to the best of my abilities,” he said.

“I’ve always been part of the cycling community, competed in races when I lived in Hungary and for the past two years I’ve been doing a paper round for 45 minutes each morning.

“One hundred miles is going to be a massive challenge, very exciting to see how I get on and hopefully I can go home having done myself proud, and my friends and family proud.

“Meeting Dame Kelly Holmes was amazing – it’s not every day you get to meet a sporting legend like that, and to be around someone who won the Olympic gold was pretty extraordinary.

“She told us to push through everything you want to do, push through training and be determined in everything you do in both body and mind.”

Double Olympic gold medallist Holmes took part in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46 on its maiden ride last year, and has now joined forces with Prudential and education charity Teach First.

Their initiative will see 260 students and 40 teachers provided with bikes, equipment, training and nutrition advice as part of the PruGOals programme, boosting the wellbeing and employability skills of young people.

The aim is to also encourage young adults to set their own goals, helping them to achieve what they thought might not have been possible.

For Holmes, whose success came at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the importance of setting goals is not something that can be underestimated at any level.

She said: “My role is to give an insight from making the transition from a runner to a cyclist and I’m hoping I can pass on my experiences as an ex-international athlete, as well as somebody who has worked with young people.

“They need a focal point in which to believe in themselves, to set themselves ambitious goals and then go and achieve them, and that’s something we want to do as part of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46.

“It’s so important to show young people there are opportunities for everyone, no matter what their background is, to give them the opportunity to make changes in themselves and feel like they can achieve.

“You have to set yourself goals and then believe you can achieve it. Once you do that then it feels amazing, and that’s what I felt after taking part last year.”

Dame Kelly Holmes was speaking at the regional launch of PruGOals, a partnership between Prudential and Teach First which aims to empower young people to drive their ambitions and fulfil their potential regardless of social or economic background. For more information, visit www.prugoals.co.uk/prugoals