5 Days - 300 miles - 12,000 ft of climbing - on a bike!
The idea of a sponsored bike ride to raise money for cancer and neuro-surgery charities was first mooted over Easter 2009. Dan Porter was spending the holiday weekend with members of his family in the New Forest in Hampshire. I was one of those present - his Brother-in-law Stuart Grainger. I had recently taken up cycling as a hobby and had brought my bike with me. Dan, ever the sporting kind, fancied a ride out so a bike was found and off we went.
A couple of hours later we returned. Dan, having fallen off twice and hauled his rugby players physique up every hill, looked shattered - not suprising given that I'd already been riding for six months and our other companion was Dan's ultra competitive cousin Dave, a cyclist of many years. Within an hour Dan had decided we should be doing a sponsored bike ride.
But where to ride? Various options were discussed but pretty quickly we came up with a plan. The surgeon who had so superbly operated on Dan at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, Jeremy McMahon, had moved up to Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. Jeremy and Dan had maintained contact after the operation and Dan was keen to show some appreciation a man to whom he felt he owed a great debt. So thus it was decided, we'd cycle from Glasgow to Sheffield - From Surgeon to Surgery.
The team of 22 riders consists of Dan's friends and family, with a support crew of Dave and Sandy, Dan's dad and step mum. Dan's mum and Eileen and husband Alan were scheduled to join the last leg of the ride, however Eileen broke her leg skiing recently (some people will do anything to get out riding).
Day by day reports and photos, click here
