Hospices provide a vital service to people nearing the end of their lives and their families. Many rely on public donations and in the wake of COVID-19, this support is needed more than ever. On the 4^th of June, I will be raising funds in aid of Springhill Hospice (Registered Charity Number 701798) by attempting to climb the height of Everest in a single bicycle ride. 

I aim to complete this by riding repetitions of Blackstone Edge Old Road. Located near the Lancashire/Yorkshire border, this is a 2.14 mile climb which gains 229 metres of elevation. To reach the height of Everest (8848m) I will therefore have to do this climb 39 times, all in one go, without any sleep. To put this into context, you would have to climb the highest mountain in England (Scafell Pike) 10 times to reach the required elevation. As those of you who follow me on Strava will know, I attempted this challenge last year and after 17 hours of riding had to stop as my knees couldn’t take the strain. But I refuse to give in and with the added motivation of raising money for such a worthwhile cause, I am determined to succeed. I have been training all year for this, racking up over 2200 miles of riding in the last 5 months alone. After the attempt I will upload a link to my ride profile, along with a full write up and pictures, to this donation page. 

Springhill Hospice is in my home town of Rochdale and is a cause particularly close to my heart. Whilst studying for my A-Levels, I volunteered at the hospice for over a year and in my current role as a medical student, I have gained further insight into the valuable services hospices provide, guiding and comforting people through the final stages of their life and supporting their families along the way. I hope those of you reading this will consider sponsoring me in my endeavours, any money you give will be greatly appreciated and will most certainly make a huge difference to people’s lives. 

https://www.strava.com/athletes/6831609/posts/10079325

RIDE REPORT

After having nervously laid awake in bed all evening, my alarm at 1:30 finally gave me an excuse to get up. After putting away some porridge and beans on toast, I started riding at 2:15. As I made my way up the first climb, I was struck by how cold it was. The absence of any sunlight and the unpredicted strong headwind left me shivering within minutes. This only got worse as I climbed higher and by the summit of the first climb I had brain-freeze. The descent did little to improve this and as I turned around to start the second lap I began to seriously question what I was doing. After another lap I was debating heading home for my thermal skull cap which I foolishly hadn’t packed. At this point my Mum called to check on my progress and immediately offered to bring my cap. I breathed a sigh of relief at not having to cycle home and within 10 minutes I was drinking coffee in her car and starting to warm up. 

The next few hours passed with relative ease, darkness quickly gave way as the sun  rose and with fresh legs I was quickly up to 10 laps. At this point Dave and Alex, who were my first set of riding buddies, arrived. We pushed on and the laps continued to rack up, by 9:00 I was within touching distance of halfway and felt good. But this feeling of confidence was short lived, before setting off again I developed a sudden need to use the toilet and was forced to go home to do so. This pit stop cost me almost an hour and by the time I got back on the bike, fatigue had started to take hold.

The next 15 laps were a real struggle, I could barely stomach any more food but I knew that not doing so would only drain my energy reserves faster. Feeding stops became longer, climbing times slowed and I started to feel cold on the descents. My Dad, Steve, Joe, John, Mick and Wilf all did a fantastic job of keeping me company while I rode and with their support I plodded on. 

By the evening I’d managed 30 laps, passing my previous record from last year. I was however far from the end and my knee was starting to burn. I ate some pasta and whatever bars I could lay my hands on and set off on what was to be the final set of climbing. This was the point where I really got a second wind, spurred on by all the supporters who had come out for me and the realisation that I was within touching distance left my legs once again feeling fresh. The laps tumbled and before long, I was watching the sun set as I rode the final lap with my friends riding by my side. We celebrated briefly at the top before rolling back down and onwards to home. 

This will forever go down as one of my greatest days on a bicycle and it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the many people that made it happen. From people who donated, to those who rode with me and the many who came up and to cheer at me for the brief moment I rode past, thank you so much for everything.