Thanks for taking the time to visit my BUI Kidney Cancer JustGiving page.

I am asking you to please support me in my fund raising activities during 2012 – and beyond. To find out why, skip down the news and schedule below, have a peek at the pics and read my story.

Events in 2012 that I will be riding in:
• Etape Caledonia – 13/05/2012, 130km (81 miles) - completed 04:45:24
• Tour of Avon Cycle Way – 24/06/2012, 90+ miles - 3rd place last year
• Cheddar Sportive – 16/09/2012, 100 miles - target 06:30:00 Mendip 5 Hills Challenge – September 2012, 45 miles - 1st home (just!) last year

News 2012

15/05/2012 - Super windy Etape Caledonia meant target time (04:30:00) was unlikely but still had a great ride round. White caps on Loch Rannoch, dodgy cross-winds and a sheltered hill climb (under 10 mins!) all part of the mix. Felt strong all round and just missed beating my 2010 PB by only 10 seconds - grrrr! A slightly shorter top-up break at Schiehallion summit and it would have been champagne time! Deffo need another go in 2013.

07/05/2012 - Dry winter/spring has meant plenty of training miles already under my belt. Have done c. 80% of 2010 mileage already and feeling in good early season form. Looking forward to 1st event of the year - Etape Caledonia in just a few days time.

02/04/2012 - Great training ride (70 miles) out to Exeter. No fallers this year! and we all made it to the pub safely. Legs abit shredded though.

Events and Results in 2011:
• Etape Caledonia – 15/05/2011, 130km (81 miles) - completed 05:05:58
• Tour of Avon Cycle Way – 19/06/2011, 90+ miles - completed, 3rd place
• Cheddar Sportive – 18/09/2011, 100 miles - completed, 07:14:21 (no punctures!)

Mendip 5 Hills Challenge – 25/09/2011, 45 miles - completed, 1st home!

News 2011

25/09/2011 - Spent most of the late siummer getting hill fit and felt really good on another wet and windy spin out on the Mendips. Managed to haul myself up the 5 hills without struggling too much and was lucky to just nick back to the pub first

18/09/2011 - Completetd Cheddar 100 miler in rain and high winds. Finally got my jacket of for the last 10 miles from Burrington to Cheddar! Chip time was 07:14:21 but actual ride time 06:26, the difference spent at feed stops warming up and preparing for the next soggy session. Somerset levels were the worst for wind and rain! But glad to finish it off and not come in last ...

19/06/2011 - Great ride out until chain SNAP! just before half-way. Roadside repairs OK for a few more miles then SNAP! chain completely gone. Adandoned but while waiting for pickup a fellow rider pulled up with injury. Quick phone calls and I was back in the saddle (thanks Rod!). Good run home with killer hill to finish (3rd). Big BBQ and rest afterwards.

15/05/2011 -Tough ride on the Etape Caledonia. Busy ride too with large pelotons. Strong headwinds and bad knee cramps half-way slowed me down this year - but managed to keep going and completed in 05:05:58. Drop off in training after Exeter didn't help. Need to build up for Tour of Avon cycleway now.

Back Training - out and about again trying to boost confidence up and cram in some last minute conditioning for Etape Caledonia, only days to go now. Planning to seriously avoid most of the other 5000 competitors after Exeter experience but still attack last year's time.

Crash! 17/04/2011 - long training ride to Exeter abandoned halfway. Accidentally clipped wheel of riding partner and we both came off. He much worse with broken hip and out for the rest of year, Me with stitched elbow and bruised humerus. Disastrous day after steaming along so well. Hope Matt up and about soon.

Training - going well after long winter layoff. Mileage up c. 150% on this time last year. Getting in trim for Etape Caledonia with long rides and a few hills to get the pipes open.

Events in 2010 that I rode in:
• Etape Caledonia – 16/05/2010, 81 miles - completed, 04:45:14
• Tour of Avon Cycle Way – 20/06/2010, 90+ miles - completed
• Cheddar Sportive – 19/09/2010, 100 miles - DNF

• Mendip 5-Hills – 26/09/2010, 45 miles (and 5 tough climbs) - completed

News 2010

Mendip 5-Hills - great day out puffing and blowing up and down the Mendip with big scoff at the end. Much better than 2009 conk-out!

Cheddar Sportive - Puncture-Fest! Started great and going like a train for first 25 miles then had first of what turned out to be 5 pounctures. A whole season's blow-outs inone morning. Limped from repair to repair. New tubes at feed staion then more hissing. Gave up half distance as I couldn't post a time. TOTALLY DEFLATED :-) Try again next year.

01/08/2010 - Crash! Slid off today and developed serious back end road rash, ouch! All part of the game really. Bike and I not too badly damaged so after a rear wheel rebuild its back on with the training. Cheddar Cyclosportive (19 Sep) and Mendip 5-hills challenge (26 Sep) next - watch this space.

News 20/06/2010 - Great weather for the CSDCC Tour d'Avon. Complete round of Bristol on the Avon cycle way, c. 100 miles. Big group set off nice and early to avoid a head-on crash with the crowds on Avon bridge (Bristol Big Bike Ride) but only just got there before the rush. Crash! One rider spilled off coming out of Henbury. Broken wrist and paramedics called so we were all a bit gloomy for a while but carried on. Lunch and big drink at Wickwar then on to Warmley for tea and buns before last push home. Crash! anpother rider off, sliding down gravelly lane near Pensford. Last bit now with an impromptu race over last 4 miles. Came home fourth but all in one piece. Big party afterwards to recover. A super day and well worth all the training.

News 18/05/2010 - Great cycling day on 16th with c. 4,000 other riders in the 2010 Etape Caledonia. Time was 04:45:14, average speed 17 mph and well inside my target of 05:30:00. Short video of me crossing finishng line here (gold and blue top). Fantastic day with loads of others doing their best in Britain’s only closed road cycle challenge. Thanks for all the sponsorship! Back in training now for next event (see programme below).

News 06/05/2010 - Very grateful thanks to all who chipped in to help with the new bike. Promptly rode it out on Sunday for a training run to Exeter (70 miles in the rain) - hell of a way to celebrate my 50th! Thanks also to Rob and the crew at Bad-Ass-Bikes for turning me into proper "Pedallion Man"!

I am cycling to raise funds over a series of events in support of specific Kidney Cancer work and general Kidney Research in the UK. This page is specifically to help support my fund raising for Bristol Urological Institute (BUI) Kidney Cancer work.

Why am I doing this? And why am I asking for your support?

Some of you will know that I was out of action for an extended period during 2009. After being laid low with kidney stones in 2008, routine scans revealed an unexpected mass in one of my kidneys. Basically a tumour.

Believe it or not this discovery was a “lucky” break! Early diagnosis means more options, more time to deal with a potentially life threatening condition. In my case the tumour was slow growing and small enough to allow its removal, in fact with the whole kidney, but with good prospects for the future. Hopes of riding in the 2009 Etape Caledonia were unfortunately set back due to a post-op pulmonary embolism and I now have a very full appreciation of what being out of puff is really all about! All in all I'm really glad to be back in the saddle.

Fortunately my tumour was detected early, almost by accident. Others are not so lucky.

I made a promise to the surgical team at Southmead Hospital, Bristol to raise some funds in support of their kidney cancer work at the BUI as part of my recovery plan.

In the UK, kidney cancer is the tenth most common cause of cancer death in men and the thirteenth in women. 3,752 people died from kidney cancer in 2007, accounting for over 2% of all cancer deaths in the UK. Kidney cancer death rates rise with increasing age and most (over 80% of) deaths occur after the age of 60.

I received a lot of support from family, friends and strangers alike who have had experience kidney disease or other kidney failure conditions. I am very grateful to all of them. The importance of preserving kidney function was already very clear to me in light of the difficulties my father-in-law suffered late in life.

Consequently, I also have a separate fund raising page to support Kidney Research UK. I intend to support both charities equally but because of the way Gift Aid donations are regulated it is not possible to share the page.

Please do support my Kidney Research fund raising page if you are able. It all helps.

You do not have to donate online. You can also send me your pledge or request a sponsor form and I'll follow up to make sure the money gets there.

So, now I’m back to fitness, I participate in a number of cycling events to raise funds and help others with these kidney conditions.

Plus regular training rides with Chew Stoke Cycle Club and the lads from Chew Stoke Dads' Cycle Club.

You will be able to see updates on my progress on this site.
Yes, its been scary but there’s a positive way forward on one kidney.

Plus I have the advantage of travelling a little bit lighter!

Thanks for your help and support

Ian

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.