Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

When someone you are close to gets ill, it brings home just how fragile life is. And how important it is to make the most of the time you have.

It can also bring you close to ordinary people who do remarkable things, like the nurses and carers who always smile, offer support and never show signs of the pressure.

Last year I lost a friend to cancer and my Dad was diagnosed. It opened my eyes to many things, and changed my understanding of life. Whilst trying to figure out if I could cycle down to visit my Dad from London and get back in the same day I discovered there was a bona fide record for such a ride.

I decided this is my chance to do something remarkable, to pay tribute to the amazing hospital workers and carers and raise money for a suitable charity. The current record was set in 1981 by John Woodburn who covered the 211 miles in just over 9 hours. Only one person has even considered an attempt on this record since. It got as far as a phone call:

Three years after broke he Bath-London-Bath record John received a phone call from Clive Pugh which went as follows:
CP: "I'm thinking of going for your Bath and back record. How far is it and how long did you take?"
JW: "211miles and 9hrs 3mins 7sec

End of telephone call. Then 5 mins later the phone rang again.

CP: "How far was it again and how long did it take?"
JW: "211miles, 9.03.07"
CP: "Do you realise that's equivalent to a 280 mile 12-hour?"
JW: "Don't worry, it's only 9 hours, not 12.

End of conversation. Clive Pugh never spoke about it again.
My attempt to beat this record will take place on August 1st 2010. I will have independent adjudicators from the Road Records Association, and 50 volunteers watching and timing so no cheating, that includes obeying the highway code. Yes, that includes red lights.

I have no idea whether I will be successful, but I'm doing everything I can, training twice a day, 6 days a week, and I've given up alcohol. I must thank my family for their support.

To find out more and see how the preparation is going and how little fun I'm having doing what is supposed to be my hobby please visit my training blog.

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.