WEYMOUTH duathlete Ian Cardy is gearing up to represent Great Britain on Sunday in the European Championships.

The 37-year-old, who works for Dorset County Council as a senior architect, will be lining up among a high-quality international field in Budapest, Hungary.

Cardy’s rise in the world of duathlon – a run and cycle sport – has been meteoric considering he first entered an event in November last year.

But six months later he finds himself battling against the world’s elite, hoping his gruelling 15-hour-a-week training regime will pay dividends.

Cardy caught the running bug after competing in the 1996 London Marathon but it wasn’t until 2007 that he explored the possibilities of two wheels.

A member of Weymouth Cycling Club, Cardy rode the Cycle to Cannes before he combined both disciplines by entering his first sprint duathlon.

A week later he came third in an Olympic Distance Duathlon, which qualified him for the European Age Group Championships.

And in September he will represent his country again at the World Championships in Concord, USA, after qualifying last month.

Looking ahead to future races, Cardy said: “I’ve got the best part of 60 races pencilled in until October that I need to get through and then see what my national ranking position is.

“I would like to compete at Olympic/world class level, I’m a minute or two shy of that at present but I’m not afraid of hard work and application.

“All said and done though, duathlon is not an Olympic event yet and that is seen to be the pinnacle of any sport.”