A victorious Tom Butterfield cycled into Paris yesterday with friends in tow after crossing 500 miles in support of the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

With his latest excursion, Mr Butterfield has thus far raised around $135,000 to keep Masterworks shows and educational programmes going.

He set out from St Rémy in the South of France on May 26, accompanied by companions Michael Hamer and Jay Nichols — and closed the journey by cycling up the Champs-Élysées for a victory lap around the Arc de Triomphe at around 2.40pm.

“The first two days we had headwinds that kept us tied to our saddles and we didn’t cover the distance we had anticipated,” Mr Butterfield said.

However, ideal conditions followed as the team tackled the back roads on their way north, stopping recently near the village of Chablis and the wine capital of Beaune.

Pot holes, uneven paths and rocks dealt the team a broken chain and one tumble, but the rain gear stayed in their saddle bags.

Mr Butterfield, who recently underwent back surgery, has suggested the journey would be his last such trip, but Masterworks administrator Sarah Miles said it would probably be more like “his last for now”.

“Tom’s been in incredibly high spirits — no aches or pains; he didn’t find the trip too challenging, and his wife Gill has done a miraculous job of finding places for them to stop at,” she said. “We’re thrilled with his achievement.”

The slog to Paris isn’t the only race undertaken for Masterworks lately: in just six weeks the campaign mustered pledges from about 200 people, Ms Miles said.