In December 2024 I will be riding the Festive 500, raising money to support CALM and Herne Hill Velodrome.
The Festive 500 is usually a challenge to ride 500km between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, however a few years ago a couple of geniuses came up with the idea to do it in one ride on the track. 1,112 laps. This is what I will be doing, starting on the 29th December at 1pm, hopefully finishing some time in the morning on the 30th.
In August 2024 I rode 1,000 miles in 10 days with some dear friends of mine: James, George and Dylan. It was a memorial ride in honour of twice individual pursuit world champion Anthony Doyle MBE, George and James’ father, who passed in 2023 from pancreatic cancer. After completing the ride, we felt an importance to, next time, raise funds for a mental health charity, as Champ (Tony) and so many others in our world have encountered challenges with mental health. In 2023, we also lost our friend Tom to suicide, and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) help to prevent this for others and support those going through hard times. This is why I have chosen CALM as well as Herne Hill Velodrome.
Herne Hill is an extra special place in our hearts as Champ used to ride, train and race there so often throughout his career, training for both his world titles on this track. I found true love for the bicycle in 2020, while facing my own mental challenges. Feeling rather lost and as though I had a raincloud over my head all the time. Cycling brought me a new lease of life offering relief, growth and salvation. Helping me return to myself and to a position where I can help others who have felt similar. Cycling is good for the mind, the body and the soul. I hope to share the awareness of the gifts of cycling with as many people as possible, I feel if it has saved my life it can save countless lives.
I am proud to be supporting these 2 brilliant charities doing life changing work to support the people.
All donations will be split 50/50.
- Campaign Against Living Miserably - https://www.thecalmzone.net/
CALM is a charity that have been shouting about suicide prevention since 1997. They became a national charity in 2005 meaning they could support people who needed them across the country. Their aim is to help people end their misery, not their lives. If you feel as though CALM can help you or someone you know, please don’t feel obligated to donate but rather have a look at the link for their services.
- Herne Hill Velodrome - https://www.hernehillvelodrome.com/
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.
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.
I am honoured to be taking part in this epic. All donations are greatly appreciated and go to a great cause. And if you could share with friends, family and supporters it would be a big help.
Thank you for reading. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all. See you on the track.
One Love, yours truly
Jamal.