Justin's charity cycle ride for Penny Brohn UK

I can’t quite believe that my cycle ride has come to an end. After months of planning and training plus a few sleepless nights worrying that I’d taken on too much, I can now look back on the experience and feel a sense of relief as well as pride.

As a keen cyclist I initially signed up for it without too much thought to the physicality of the challenge, 980 miles with nearly 56,000ft of elevation seemed like a good idea at the time but it’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Getting off the bike each evening after 100 miles or sometimes more, having some rest and then getting on again the next day with aches and pains is gruelling. The biggest challenge was fatigue, I’d never ridden anything like that before and I was burning 7000-8000 calories a day. I tried to eat small snacks every 45 minutes and lived off Soreen bars, flapjacks and pork pies to keep me going!

The scenery was fantastic, but the best part was to be able to ride for specific patients each day. I tried to remain focused throughout the challenge knowing that I was supporting patients who receive amazing cancer care through Penny Brohn UK and this helped to keep me going. I recognised that each of the patients I was riding for each day were counting on me to complete the ride in their name so that the money raised could go towards helping more people get the support they need.