Some of you may know that I support a local charity as a Director on the Board of Trustees for Mind in Mid Herts. This ride is dedicated to the work they do in helping people with mental health difficulties.  The work I have done there has really opened my eyes to just how hard it is to go through such an illness – unlike physical health, this area has less by way of direct “fixes” and is often not understood by friends, families and employers, making it doubly difficult to get through. The charity does work to directly help those affected, as well as working with the local community to raise awareness.

The Raid Pyrenees challenge is without any doubt the hardest cycling challenge I will ever have undertaken. Some numbers to scare me with: 720km of road, 15,000m climbing, 100 hours or 4.5 days, 10 enormous Cols, 8 small Cols (but they’re still bigger than anything I’ve climbed in UK). Some good stats: 3 great friends and an estimated 16,000 calories burned (yum!).

Whatever you can give will go direct to the charity, as I am paying for this so-called “holiday” myself.

The small print: 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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.