A legal executive is retiring after his daily commute to work clocked up enough miles on his bike to cycle round the world seven times.

Chris Ash, from Kingsteignton, South Devon, has biked 19.5 miles every day since 1970, to reach his office in Torquay.

It means he notched up an impressive 180,000 miles on his commute – the equivalent of cycling around the world 7.2 times.

Mr Ash, who is climbing out of the saddle from his job as a legal draftsman at Wollen Michelmore now that he is 65, started cycling in 1958, and has been involved in competitive cycling since 1974, and still regularly goes out on Sundays with the Mid Devon Cycle Club.

"I've been knocked off around half a dozen times, but fortunately it's been nothing I haven't recovered from," he said. "The Newton Road is probably ten times busier now than in 1970 but then there was no lighting for much of the journey and of course no cycle lane. The cycle lane has made a huge difference which is shown by the amount of cyclists that commute every day.

"In the summer the journey will take 30 to 40 minutes as I am fitter but in the winter it can take anything up to 50 minutes, especially if the weather is bad or it is very windy."

He remembered being caught up in a whirlwind several years ago. "I was actually cycling along the seafront when it hit land and had to drag my bike and myself against the wall at Rock Walk. It came across the road about 100 yards in front of me and sounded like an express train. I even saw a door fly through the air right in front of me. It was just like The Wizard of Oz and probably the most frightening thing I have ever witnessed."

Much has changed over Mr Ash's working career, particularly the introduction of computers. He said: "I first worked using manual typewriters, and writing everything in old ledgers. I still keep an old quill pen by the side of my desk for emergencies."