In January, Lloyds Banking Group launched its Ride Across Britain cycle challenge. They were looking for 24 colleagues to get on their bikes and turn pedal power into pounds for the latest phase of the Live Well campaign and Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer Scotland. 

 

We (John Thompson and Aaron Shinwell) applied for the challenge and were delighted when we were accepted. Due to JT.s visual impairment (Retinitis Pigmentosa) we will complete the ride on a racing tandem bike.

 

The cycle challenge runs for nine days from 6 to 14 September and spans the 969 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

 

We will cycle an average of 108 miles per day and the ride will take us through some amazing scenery in the UK, from barren moorlands and majestic highlands to lush green valleys, winding back lanes and stunning coastal roads. Highlights include the Severn Bridge, Shap Climb, the Lowther Hills, Glen Coe Pass and the Strathnaver Valley. In all, over 700 riders will climb around 15,000m in 9 days, which is around 13 times up Alpe d’Huez!

 

As part of the Lloyds team, we each need to raise £3,800 for the Live Well campaign and Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer Scotland, so £7,600 in total.  The Live Well campaign is their first UK-wide dementia carers programme. This pioneering campaign will provide life-changing support for people living with dementia, their families and carers. The campaign aims to support 9000 carers over 2 years.

 

To be honest, this all started from the (supposedly) simple question to JT for a team newsletter of what his new year's resolution was. It has now turned into an epic challenge to get fitter (much, much fitter!), learn how to ride tandem, raise a lot of money for a great cause and hopefully have a fantastic time.

 

The first steps for us are:

•        To get a tandem!

•        To develop a training plan.

•        To start cycling (how hard can it be?).

 

We are really pleased at the level of support & enthusiasm our team and our families have already shown and we hope they will all bear with us through the challenging times over the next few months.

 

Thank you in advance for any support you are able to provide on this fundraising challenge. We will provide updates throughout the year on our training and fundraising progress.

 

JT & Aaron

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