In December 2024 I will be riding the festive 500 to raise money for Jigsaw South East Children's and Young People's bereavement charity and Herne Hill Velodrome.
The festive 500 is (usually) a challenge to ride 500km between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve but a few years ago someone came up with the bright idea to do this in one ride, through the night on an outdoor velodrome – and that is what I will be attempting starting at 1pm 29th Dec and hopefully finishing some time in the morning on the 30th. For those that are wondering that is 1,112 laps of the track!
In October 2023, a very close and dear friend - Aran - was killed riding home from work. Aran had been a friend for close to 20 years, sharing formative moments in life both on and off the bike. From big nights out to big rides and French cols, to first steps in parenthood as our kids were born one month apart. Aran's loss is felt each and every day by myself and all that knew him.
If a loss like this can teach us anything, it's to grab each day and live - less thinking about reasons not to and more doing! With that in mind I have signed up to ride 500km in one go, in a circle, in December, on one of the shortest days of the year (sounds like fun doesn't it...).
I'm doing this in support of two fantastic charities, any donations will be split 50/50:
• Jigsaw South East - https://www.jigsawsoutheast.org.uk/
o Jigsaw South East provides information and guidance to help support children and young people facing or coping with the death of a loved one. We support families in Surrey, and nearby areas of East and West Sussex and Kent. They were a huge support to Aran's two wonderful children Phoebe and Jude in the months after his death. Jigsaw are a small charity who receive no statutory funding and so every penny received helps in supporting children in a time of great need.
• Herne Hill Velodrome
o Herne Hill Velodrome is a multi-use cycling centre in South London with a 450m outdoor banked track, multi-use games area, MTB and cyclocross facilities. With a history dating back to 1891, they currently offer a huge range of affordable and accessible cycling sessions, including track, road, mountain biking and cyclocross, to a wide-range of user groups.
o It is the most affordable venue in London to learn, develop and compete on the track, and we draw in riders from across the South East. Our user-targeted sessions address key audiences including female, youth, veteran and disabled riders, and we prioritise putting the community at the heart of everything we do to ensure these sessions are open, inclusive and available to all.