Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I took part in the gruelling 100 mile Montane Kielder 100 mountain bike race on September 3rd to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity.

In just three years the Kielder 100 has become one of the iconic mountain bike races. The 100 mile lap starts at Kielder Castle in England, crosses over the border into Scotland using the Newcastleton 7stanes trails before heading back into England.

599 riders lined up for the mass start at 6.30am. The weather was pretty dire, raining all day. As a result, the conditions in this all off-road event meant it was something of a war of attrition on both riders and machines. The mud had to be seen to be believed at times, and the wet coupled with the gritty nature of the surfaces meant that I'd got through a bike-set of brake pads in just 40 miles! Gear selection became difficult due to contamination in the cables, and vision was also an issue. But the bottom line is I just wasn't fit enough. The climbs are relentless, and I was cramping from about 30 miles out.

There are a number of timed cut-offs (51 miles, 65 miles and 80 miles) and unfortunately I missed the 51 mile cut off by about 8 minutes. Gutted. I'd been riding for 7 hours at that point.

It was a great experience however, and I shall train even harder for next year. To give you an idea of how fit some people are, the winning time for the 100 miles was just 8 hours 50 seconds!

Of the 599 riders who started, only 177 finished, such is the arduous nature of this event. 

One man dies every hour from prostate cancer.

My grandfather has the disease. I'd like to raise a substantial donation for The Prostate cancer Charity and help to raise awareness of a disease so many men face. 

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. Thank you, Mike.