In July I will be riding the Etape Du Tour – stage 12 of this years Tour de France. This stage is approx. 165km long with over 4700m of climbing – taking in three famous mountain climbs of Col du Galibier, Col de la Croix de Fer and finally the 21 hair pins of Alpe D’Huez.

Having lost my mind in deciding to do this – it’s worth explaining why.

Seven years ago my Dad was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Myeloma. It’s a cancer that lives in his bone marrow and unlike many cancers, Myeloma does not exist as a lump or tumour. Most of the medical problems related to Myeloma are caused by the build-up of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and the presence of the paraprotein in the body.

Last year, he came out of remission and has been feeling the effects of the illness more than ever. The most common symptoms are pain, achiness, fatigue and a weak immune system.

It’s been really tough. My Dad is lucky to have amazing Doctors and treatment, so I am raising money for Myeloma UK.  This is for the other 24,000 people who suffer from Myeloma in this country so they can benefit from the amazing advances in medicine and research and hopefully reduce the impact of this disease.

The training is brutal and the Etape will be too, but it is nothing compared to all the times that Dad has gone backwards and forwards to the clinic, for all the bone marrow biopsies, all the MRI scans (and there have been loads), the multiple pills a day, the steroids, the chemo, the stem cell transplants.

I am doing this in honour of my Dad, but also my Mum and all the people who care for those that are sick and suffer quietly in the background.

My parents have ached over the last 7 years and so the hours of sitting on a bike in the dark and getting the endurance miles in are a mere peek into what they, and countless others, have gone through.

Thank you for any donation big or small, it all makes a huge difference.

Josh