A DOUBLE Olympic champion is set to come and inspire Cumbria's cyclists at a special meet and greet event.

Gold medalist Philip Hindes will be at Watchtree Nature Reserve, near Wiggonby, Carlisle, on March 18, where he will be taking part in a mass social ride and helping raise money for the NSPCC.

The world-class cyclist - who formed part of Team GB's sprint team alongside Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny at last summer's Rio Games - regularly visits Carlisle to see his girlfriend Clare Donoghue, who is a teacher at Austin Friars School.

Clare is set to run the London Marathon for the NSPCC and Watchtree decided to support her cause.

Dan Richards, access and recreation assistant at the reserve, which promotes cycling through its Watchtree Wheelers enterprise, thinks if the weather is good they could be inundated with visitors.

"Philip often comes to Cumbria. It's just one of those fortuitous links," said Dan.

"Because he's a keen cyclist, and always has been, and is obviously looking to support local cycling initiatives, it just fell into our lap."

In a recent visit to Austin Friars, where he showed pupils his medals, Hindes spoke of his love of Carlisle and what he gets up to when he is in the area - enjoying horse riding and getting out on the county's roads, with trips out to Caldbeck and Keswick.

Various activities will take place throughout the day including the ride around the reserve with Philip, and a tomobla and raffle where a Team GB cycling jersey signed by Hindes and his Olympic teammates is among the prizes up for grabs.

Further details are yet to be confirmed but organisers are promising a great day out.

"Hopefully the Cumbrian cycling community will show out in fairly good numbers," added Dan.

"We do get quite a lot of the different cycling clubs come here on and off, mostly with their kids, and Carlisle Tri Club come here.

"It will just be a really good way to get the local youths who are interesting in cycling to come and just have fun.

"But also to help establish Watchtree as a cycling resource, which it really is."

Hindes, 24, who was born in Germany to a British father, was 19 when he won his first gold in the team sprint at London's 2012 Olympic games.

The team then thrilled the nation at the Rio Games last year to retaine their title.

At the 2020 Olympics, Hindes will be 27, the same age six-times Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy was when he won his first gold medal.

He said his next focus was on winning individual events and the Sprint World Championships.

The free meet and greet takes place between 11am and 2pm.