In June, a group of 10 intrepid, daring.....average mountain bikers will be travelling, under their own pedal power from Fort William to Inverness and back to Fort William in aid of the charity Cyclists Fighting Cancer
The route will be mostly off road, riding along the trails of Fort William, the home of the British Mountain Bike World Cup, over the Cairngorms in the biggest single climb any of
us will have attempted, a 20 mile, mountain pass climbing 2,500 feet. We will follow the river Spey and the Moray Coast before returning on the Great Glen Way High Route, following Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal. Our ride is an epic 250 mile that we will be tackling in 5 Days
So why ride for Cyclists Fighting Cancer? Quite simply, Cancer touches us all. Everyone has seen a friend, a colleague or a much loved family member suffer with cancer, sometimes with tragic results. CFC give new bikes, tandems and specially adapted trikes to children and young people who have been affected by cancer throughout the UK. The effects of the disease and its treatments in children are numerous; amputations, balance issues, physical weakness, coordination difficulties, lack of self esteem are just a few of the most common side effects seen in many patients. Exercise has been shown in numerous adult studies to be the single most effective way of improving both physical and mental wellness for people surviving cancer. They encourage cycling as the best form of exercise based rehabilitation especially for children because it provides all these benefits in a low impact, fun, sociable and exciting way. Cancer also causes massive disruption in families, therefore They also give bikes to their siblings and in many cases their parents in order that they can take part in an activity as a family once again after what can be years of hospitalisation and upheaval. CFC plan to supply another 300 awards this year which will take the total since they started in 2006 to over 1200 cases. In addition CFC are funding a dedicated research study with the University of Leeds to clearly illustrate the relationship between physical and mental well being and physical activity in children surviving cancer. Their main focus is raising awareness and to providing a bespoke service to each individual applicant. So please support us, follow us and spread the word about our challenge, which starts on the 19th of June and runs for 5 days. You can follow us and our progress through the months of training and planning we have ahead of us on Twitter on
Every penny and every shared word help us, so give what you can to our efforts and spread the word. Thank you
