This year I turned as old as there are Church of England Cathedrals (in England), accordingly it seemed like a good idea to try to cycle between them all.
I have lost two brothers now to heart issues, and also my best friend. Knowing the impact that a loss of life from a heart condition places on surviving family members shows the importance of a charity like CRY and the support they provide not only to bereaved families, but also with vitally important screening and research. I have been fortunate to have been the recipient of heart screening recently and I felt that I wanted to give something back to help others in the future, accordingly I took on this challenge to raise funds for CRY.
Breaking the challenge down into seven separate legs (which started in May from Gloucester Cathedral before) following the designated route between the Cathedrals which makes up the official Cathedrals Cycle Route. I have slowly but surely been ticking each Cathedral off the list, getting stamps in my Pilgrim Passport to provide a keepsake for years to come.
In total I have covered 1,934 miles in 23 days of cycling and I have climbed over 27,000 meters (over three times the height of Everest)! Some journeys were tougher than others, there always seemed to be a headwind and when you have fixed your dates in the calendar you have no choice with the weather. I have cycled through a heatwave and a summer storm! It would not have been possible without the support of friends and family who helped with each leg. I finally finished at Gloucester Cathedral to the sound of the bells ringing out with 12 cycling friends and a crowd to welcome me of family, family friends and colleagues.
It has been a fantastic experience, a massive physical and mental challenge and most importantly I have raised over £4000 + gift aid for such a great charity.
