The Maggie’s Cycle challenge was to ride 250 miles in May so a number of the Randall & Payne team took to their bikes.
Will, Ryan and Shelley got out on their road bikes whilst Kate, Nikki and Mel opted for their exercise bikes instead. It’s been hard work to fit the miles in over the month for various reasons; busy working weeks, study days and recurring injuries, but between them they have cycled an impressive 1000 miles.
Will, however, regularly cycles 250 miles in a month so he needed to turn it into a real challenge and planned to ride 250 miles in a single ride between three Maggie’s centres on the 28th May. He planned his trip from Maggie’s in Cheltenham leaving at 6am, to Maggie’s in Oxford and then to Maggie’s in Nottingham, before riding back to Cheltenham, all in one day.
Maggie’s is close to Will’s heart as his mother passed with cancer aged 51. Will recognises that support for people with cancer and their families has improved immensely in that time, which is due to the hard work and commitment of the people at charities such as Maggie’s in Cheltenham.
Unfortunately Will’s big ride didn’t go to plan… He made the 50 miles to Maggie’s in Oxford, but the challenge had to be abandoned after Will hit an unexpected and unavoidable obstruction on the cycle path which resulted in the bike stopping and Will being catapulted over the handlebars! Both the rider and his bike were a little worse for wear but as per his message on the day, both will ride again!
Despite this, the great news is that the total raised across the various fundraising pages is now just over £2300. The team would like to thank everyone who has donated, and as Will said, “The fundraising is what the challenge was all about”. There is still time to help Will and the team reach their £2500 target, if you would like to donate here’s the link to the team JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/randall-and-payne-may-cycle-challenge.
As for Will, he’s bumped and bruised and a little disappointed, but highly recommending his MIPS helmet!
More about the charity: Maggie’s is a worldwide charity that provides free support and information to patients and their families in a specially designed centre that becomes a haven for people to take back control when cancer turns their lives upside down. We are fortunate to have our own Maggie’s located at Cheltenham General hospital. They offer a free drop in service where you can sit, relax in a non-clinical environment, talk to the professionals and share your fears or concerns either one-to-one or in one of the many group activities.
