Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues

Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page.

I decided to take up this challenge because I haven't done anything for charity for over two years and as a result I had been feeling rather lazy and more than a little guilty.

However, of all the things I've ever done for charity, this feels like the biggest step outside my comfort zone - 180 miles over three days (and the South Downs) . . . . . . . and me hardly what you'd call a cyclist. Since January I have been training in the gym, researching which bike to buy (a Specialized Sirrus) and out practising. For those of you who've never cycled with clips, they may increase efficiency (and I admit that I need all the help I can get) but they do take some getting used to, as my elbows, hips and knees will testify after the initial crunching topples as I've been getting used to them.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) exists to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. It was founded by a small group of parents of children who recognised that regular insulin injections many times a day, every day, are not the cure for this life-threatening and lifelong condition. In the UK, the JDRF (affiliated to JDRF International in the USA) was founded in 1986 and for many years I was a member of their board.

I'm hoping that with your generous support I might be able to raise a massive £10,000, all of which will go directly to the JDRF - if I get to Paris on Sunday 14 June - and the more you are willing to help me, the more I know that I will have to keep pedalling - I promise that I will send you a picture to prove it!

Thank you so much

Abel

 

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.