Stephen Rumble
Stephen Rumble's 950 mile Cycle Ride
Fundraising for Lymphoma Action
Story
My name is Stephen Rumble and the 13th May 2004 marked two significant milestones in my life. It saw the completion of nine long days cycling and it was also the first anniversary of the day I completed 6½ months of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for Hodgkins' Disease.
I set myself the ridiculous target of cycling the 950 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats in just 9 days and raising £5,000 for charity.
After 9 long days cycling, 951 miles and more than 70 hours in the saddle I finally arrived at John O'Groats just before 4pm on Thursday 13th May, and it felt fantastic. All the pain and tiredness that had dogged me from the half way stage disappeared as I descended down the final hill towards the end of road for the obligatory photograph of man and machine under the John O'Groats finger post. It was a great way to celebrate the first anniversary of completing my treatment for Hodgkins' Disease.
I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me on this adventure, sent goodwill messages and agreed to sponsor me. Your generosity has been wonderful and helped to keep my spirits up during the low points. Giving up was never an option. With your help I have already managed to raise almost £4,000 for charity and I'm hopeful of getting close to my original target of £5,000. It really is fantastic to be able to give something back to those that took such great care of me during my illness.
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Wednesday Day 1 Lands End to Okehampton Hard work with a gale force wind trying to blow me sideways and very cold but I reached Okehampton by 7pm - 10 hours of cycling. Thursday Day 2 Okehampton to Bristol Much better weather and a good day. Arrived at Bristol via the Suspension Bridge. Friday Day 3 Bristol to Newport An early start for a long day. Cheered on by friends at Tintern. Saturday Day 4 Newport to Arnside, Cumbria 130 miles completed today and still on schedule. It was cold & windy and the longest day but I am now almost half-way. Just the highest pass in the country tomorrow and an 8-mile climb to get there before I get to the halfway point. Sunday Day5 Arnside to Annan Feeling the effects of yesterday's long ride. Thank you to everyone for their support - it is really helping me to keep going. Monday Day 6 Annan to Beith Painful today but counting down the miles. Lots of sun but still a head wind. Last long day tomorrow. Tuesday Day 7 Beith to Fort William At last the wind was in the right direction! A beautiful sunny day with stunning scenary. Along the side of Loch Lomond and then up and up through the pass at Glencoe. 117 miles today. Wednesday Day 8 Fort William to Tain Longer and harder than I expected today - not helped by the strong, cold wind blowing against me again. Thursday Day 9 John O'Groats 4 pm Completed the ride!!! ------------------------------------------------------------ Hodgkins' Disease is one of a family of relatively unknown cancers that affect the lymphatic system, part of the immune system. These cancers are collectively known as Lymphoma. Hodgkins' Disease can affect anyone, but is more likely to occur between the ages of 15 and 35 and affects more men than women. - Aged 28 at the time of diagnosis I was a typical sufferer. The 21st September 2002 is a date that will always stay with me. It was the day that I discovered a small lump at the base of my neck. At first I thought it was just an insect bite or something, it didn't cross my mind that it could be cancer. I'm just pleased that I did the very un-male thing of getting it checked out by a doctor quickly. The chemotherapy that I received left me feeling very ill and it was during this treatment that I first had the idea of doing this cycle ride. I needed a physical challenge to help me to put what was a very difficult period of my life behind me. I wanted to give something back, say thank you for the excellent level of care that I received, and do something that would help other people in a similar, or worse, situation than me. I've been training very hard for this challenge. There will certainly be days when my legs - and other parts, will hurt like mad, but it can't be as bad as the complete exhaustion and discomfort caused by chemotherapy. The sense of achievement when I reach John O'Groats will be tremendous, but I'll be even more pleased when I hand over a large cheque to my chosen charities. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. If you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. I would be most grateful if you would help me support the Lymphoma Association by sponsoring me to complete this cycle ride.
I set myself the ridiculous target of cycling the 950 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats in just 9 days and raising £5,000 for charity.
After 9 long days cycling, 951 miles and more than 70 hours in the saddle I finally arrived at John O'Groats just before 4pm on Thursday 13th May, and it felt fantastic. All the pain and tiredness that had dogged me from the half way stage disappeared as I descended down the final hill towards the end of road for the obligatory photograph of man and machine under the John O'Groats finger post. It was a great way to celebrate the first anniversary of completing my treatment for Hodgkins' Disease.
I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me on this adventure, sent goodwill messages and agreed to sponsor me. Your generosity has been wonderful and helped to keep my spirits up during the low points. Giving up was never an option. With your help I have already managed to raise almost £4,000 for charity and I'm hopeful of getting close to my original target of £5,000. It really is fantastic to be able to give something back to those that took such great care of me during my illness.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday Day 1 Lands End to Okehampton Hard work with a gale force wind trying to blow me sideways and very cold but I reached Okehampton by 7pm - 10 hours of cycling. Thursday Day 2 Okehampton to Bristol Much better weather and a good day. Arrived at Bristol via the Suspension Bridge. Friday Day 3 Bristol to Newport An early start for a long day. Cheered on by friends at Tintern. Saturday Day 4 Newport to Arnside, Cumbria 130 miles completed today and still on schedule. It was cold & windy and the longest day but I am now almost half-way. Just the highest pass in the country tomorrow and an 8-mile climb to get there before I get to the halfway point. Sunday Day5 Arnside to Annan Feeling the effects of yesterday's long ride. Thank you to everyone for their support - it is really helping me to keep going. Monday Day 6 Annan to Beith Painful today but counting down the miles. Lots of sun but still a head wind. Last long day tomorrow. Tuesday Day 7 Beith to Fort William At last the wind was in the right direction! A beautiful sunny day with stunning scenary. Along the side of Loch Lomond and then up and up through the pass at Glencoe. 117 miles today. Wednesday Day 8 Fort William to Tain Longer and harder than I expected today - not helped by the strong, cold wind blowing against me again. Thursday Day 9 John O'Groats 4 pm Completed the ride!!! ------------------------------------------------------------ Hodgkins' Disease is one of a family of relatively unknown cancers that affect the lymphatic system, part of the immune system. These cancers are collectively known as Lymphoma. Hodgkins' Disease can affect anyone, but is more likely to occur between the ages of 15 and 35 and affects more men than women. - Aged 28 at the time of diagnosis I was a typical sufferer. The 21st September 2002 is a date that will always stay with me. It was the day that I discovered a small lump at the base of my neck. At first I thought it was just an insect bite or something, it didn't cross my mind that it could be cancer. I'm just pleased that I did the very un-male thing of getting it checked out by a doctor quickly. The chemotherapy that I received left me feeling very ill and it was during this treatment that I first had the idea of doing this cycle ride. I needed a physical challenge to help me to put what was a very difficult period of my life behind me. I wanted to give something back, say thank you for the excellent level of care that I received, and do something that would help other people in a similar, or worse, situation than me. I've been training very hard for this challenge. There will certainly be days when my legs - and other parts, will hurt like mad, but it can't be as bad as the complete exhaustion and discomfort caused by chemotherapy. The sense of achievement when I reach John O'Groats will be tremendous, but I'll be even more pleased when I hand over a large cheque to my chosen charities. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. If you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. I would be most grateful if you would help me support the Lymphoma Association by sponsoring me to complete this cycle ride.