Rick Wheddon's Cycle Challenge - 22nd September 2012

Welcome to our Just Giving page in memory and celebration of Rick Wheddon - much loved and sorely missed husband, dad, son, brother, loyal friend, colleague and team mate.

Rick passed away on 22nd September 2011 after battling cancer for over 3 years. Despite his illness Rick continued working and playing sports and would astound medical professionals by constantly pushing himself on, without complaining or feeling sorry for himself. He was inspirational.

Rick's family and brothers and sisters wanted to do something positive that we think Rick would appreciate to mark the first anniversary this September. So what better way than to challenge friends and family to cycle more than 50 miles along the coastal roads from Calais to Le Touquet in northern France, followed by a glass or two of wine in the evening to celebrate Rick's life.

Why Le Touquet and cycling? Well in looking for a challenge with a connection to Rick, Le Touquet is where Rick went on his stag do some 23 years ago. The cycling comes from Rick's interest in Lance Armstrong and the Livestrong Foundation which helped and inspired Rick in his battle with his illness - 2 years after being diagnosed and following 3 major surgeries he cycled one of the Tour de France amateur 'stages' with his good friend Tim.

As a reflection of how much his family and friends miss him there are around 100 people making the trip to Le Touquet, with around 70 riders looking to complete the challenge. We think the sheer guts and determination Rick showed to challenge and fight his illness will help all 70 riders complete the cycle.

We're hoping to raise at least £5,000 for Bowel Cancer UK, who do fantastic work on research, screening programmes and early intervention and education projects.

Any support you are able to give in sponsorship for this challenge will be hugely appreciated and help Bowel Cancer UK continue with its invaluable work.


Many thanks and best wishes.

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.