Charity bike rides. Why do one? The simple answer is while four wheels can move your body, two wheels can move your soul!
After 12 days riding 1007 miles,18,508 metres of climbing (Everest is 8,849), 14 hotels, 70 hotel rooms, 36 refreshment stops, over 300 snacks, and one summer heatwave between Land’s End and John O’Groats–our fundraising hero Sue Jones has raised a mammoth £3,545 for Nature’s SAFE.
Tullis Matson said: “We’re all really proud of Sue for doing this for our charity. She has true grit, and we hope her extraordinary fundraising achievement will inspire others to take up the challenge. Funds raised will go towards direct biobanking action with immediate impact – supporting the preservation of over 340 tissue samples and genetics of at least 34 individual animals, making a huge contribution towards preventing animal extinctions.”
Sue took on the challenge of cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats accompanied by five other senior cyclists, and we believe that it is quite possible that the six, having an average group age of 62 years, could be the oldest group of hopefuls ever to have attempted LEJOG! The six riders are Lisa Rowley, Sue Jones, Simon Mellor, John Friend, Paul Beech, Peter Crinson and supported by Julie Crinson the support mini-bus driver. Their journey spanned twelve days of road cycling.
Sue commented: “The idea for embarking on this ride was for Simon Mellor and I to take on the challenge as we reached 60. I also want to be able to tell my grandchildren the story and maybe they would feel a little bit motivated to tackle challenges themselves as they go through life.“
Nature’s SAFE would like to offer one big thanks to Sue, the cycle team, and over 92 supporters in reaching this mammoth fundraising total.
If you are considering a biking, running or skydiving sportive, then it’s likely you will get back more than you put in. But don’t be under any misconceptions – you do have to put quite a lot in! It takes time to select an event and organize sponsorship, and you may have to put aside time for training. One thing is for sure, you will have a rewarding and challenging time, and raise money for a good cause. And there’s plenty of choice for doing shorter, less physically challenging events.