Tom Butterfield's epic cycling tour of more than 1,000 miles from one end of Britain in Cornwall to John O'Groats, the northernmost tip of Scotland at the other, has earned the staggering amount of $150,000 in pledges for the Masterworks Foundation.

Far from finding the ambitious fund-raising scheme an ordeal, the irrepressible biker says it was last year's effort -- cycling from Edinburgh to London -- that made him determined to attempt what he calls "the classic route''.

Reflecting on his marathon journey, Mr. Butterfield says that after two exhilarating weeks on "the open road'' it has been "hard to come back to Planet Earth''.

Asked if he plans another record-breaking effort, the reply is immediate: "You bet! I'm thinking of riding round the British coastline next.'' He confesses that Britain appeals to him as a near-perfect venue for the cyclist because the "extremely attractive'' back roads are unusually well kept, a fact underlined by the increasing numbers of European cycling enthusiasts who are choosing the British Isles for similar trips.

Mr. Butterfield, who was accompanied by local accountant Steve Green and, for part of the way, by his brother Jim, says they were certainly not the first to complete the trip, nor will they be the last.

"In fact, there is a book at Land's End where members of this still quite exclusive club sign in. A lot of people do the trip the other way.'' After training every day since the beginning of the year (two hours every day, and longer trips at weekends), the "moment of truth'' finally came when they found their bicycles waiting for them at the bed and breakfast close by Land's End.

"That first night, we tried the bikes out by pedalling into the town for a couple of beers. Of course, besides the actual training there are various things you have to do to ensure success. The most important is that we took the seats of our training bikes with us and fitted them on the machines over there.

"The key element,'' he explains, "is getting your rear comfortable with the seat. If not, it will be the trip from hell -- so you have to take your saddle with you. You and your seat become the best of friends!'' Although the ride was gruelling, both cyclists found that the regular training paid off, as they achieved an average of 80 miles a day rather than the 70 they had aimed for.

"We were very fortunate with the weather -- it was wonderful. And in July, the days are very long. It doesn't get dark until nine or ten o'clock, and as you get further north, it's still light at 11 p.m. So we took just over two weeks, going at a steady pace, but giving ourselves time to appreciate the beauty around us. The fastest record is one day and 21 hours, and the slowest ride was six months, when somebody did the trip on a `penny-farthing' bike. I think that people who take the main roads are missing so much. The voyage is all about what is between the two points.'' He maintains that the back roads of Britain provide an "incredible'' vacation. "You get all the elements of what a vacation is really all about -- wonderful scenery, a sense of exploration on the open road, good food, wine, meeting all sorts of interesting people -- and a little exercise, as well.

It's a real eye-opener to travel the quiet back roads. We've all heard of (and visited) places like London, Birmingham, Liverpool and so on, but the small towns and villages are amazing. You could take several other routes and see entirely new villages and vistas.'' Mostly, he says with a laugh, he was astonished by the names of some of the places he passed through.

"I was so fascinated, I made a list -- names like Pucklechurch, English Bicknor, Much Cowarne, Bitterley, Aston Juxta Mondrum, Unthank, Sutors of Cromarty and, of course, John O' Groats, which originally referred to a certain Johann De Groot. Some of the names sound distinctly rude -- and, frankly, unprintable!'' One of these occurs in Dorset where, according to legend, one village actually changed its name out of deference to Queen Victoria who planned to pass through: Piddlehampton became Puddlehampton, although the River Piddle still meanders through the Thomas Hardy countryside.

Another plus in choosing Britain, says Mr. Butterfield, is the generosity of other road users. "Especially the truck drivers, because they realise the volume of air they create around them can be quite dangerous for a biker. They really go out of their way to avoid you. I talked to a couple of them and they are very supportive of people who get out and raise money by cycling the length of Britain.'' With no major mishaps (not even a flat tyre) and once they had fallen into an easy daily rhythm, the riders were able to enjoy themselves. They set off, riding through the dramatic Cornish and Devon countryside, encountering their first "huge'' hill at Cheddar Gorge (rising 1,300 feet), and over the long Severn Bridge into Wales.

"At Ross-on-Wye, and then along the happy highways of Shropshire, we came across some amazing buildings. We stayed in a place built in 1490 -- not a straight floor, or wall, or bannister anywhere! My poached eggs were running off the plate towards me.'' The only "trying'' day came when they had to find their way from Liverpool to nearby Manchester, on a very crowded market day. After 600 miles of pedalling, they were finally in Scotland. "That day, we met somebody who was staying at the lodge who had Bermuda connections. When he found out what we were doing he pledged us $100 on the spot. We travelled down the eastern quiet side of Loch Ness and, no, I'm afraid there was no sign of the Monster.

"Scotland is unbelievably beautiful -- you could fit the whole of Bermuda in Loch Ness. I suppose there was an element of doubt at times, as to whether we'd make it. It was much easier than last year in that I had a companion.

That makes a huge difference. When I realised we only had 400 miles to go, I really stopped worrying about what could go wrong, or that our mission could turn out to be a failure.'' Their last night was spent at Dornoch on the east coast and from there it was a major push to reach the famous landmark in one day.

"Most people take two, but we decided to do it in one go, so I was biking as fast as my little legs would carry me. I didn't want it to end in one way, but the adrenalin was pumping and we finally made it at about 3 p.m. So there we were, sitting by the roadside, sipping a little champagne ... And I have another confession: I have to tell you that I actually went and bought a John O'Groats tea-towel -- to convince myself that I had really got there!'' The 15 days of tight schedules and discipline were suddenly over. "We had stuck to very light lunches and snacking very sparingly on things like chocolate bars to keep the blood sugar up when we were feeling tired. We never, never touched alcohol during the daytime, as it goes straight to the knees. Mind you, it wasn't uncommon to finish the day off with a pint of lager -- in fact, we usually did that before we set about finding a place to stay.'' One of the unexpected bonuses of a cycling vacation is that, although they ate well, the two bikers are now trying to gain back a little weight. "Most people come back from holiday saying they have to go on a diet. If anything, we've got the opposite problem.'' Admitting to a slight feeling of anti-climax when their destination had been reached, he says that had anyone phoned to double the pledge, he would happily have cycled all the way back again.

"But no one did! We were very happy to achieve our goal and to receive such fantastic support from our hundreds of backers in Bermuda. Without that support, we could never have attempted this, so I would like to say a big thank you to everyone. We have just about reached our target figure of $150,000.'' Apart from a successful physical challenge, Tom Butterfield says the benefits of his project go far deeper.

"It's a wonderful way to learn, first-hand, about a country. It's a fantastic experience to talk to people, finding out about their world rather than focusing on yourself and your own world.'' Protesting that Bermuda's intrepid action man was, in reality, "a lazy kid who sat with his toes in the sand'', Tom Butterfield shares some final thoughts on his heroic-scale ride.

"There are no mad cows over there. They all looked perfectly content and sane. The grass was green and the cows were a-chewing. And the other thing I noticed is that there are an awful lot of sheep in Britain.'' THE BEGINNING . . . AND THE END -- Masterworks fundraiser Tom Butterfield (left) at Land's End with brother Jim Butterfield (centre) who rode part of the way and Steve Green who rode all the way to Scotland. The victorious pair (below) show the Bermuda flag after crossing Britain.