Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

So, I Suppose you are all wondering what all the fuss is about and why I’m here asking you to hand over your hard earned cash. 

Well… if I were to start at the very beginning, it would take me back to last summer, watching the Giro d’Italia. It was there I first discovered the wonders of the legendary Passo dello Stelvio. I watched with awe as this almost demonic yet beautiful bit of of road broke some of the most physically fit men in the world one after another. I believe it was Dario Catoldo who crested it first that day to take the Cima Coppi prize (but sadly, he couldn't hold out to win the stage.) Anyway, I instantly decided one day, I have to ride up that mountain too. After a few months of toying with the idea it was then that it struck me, If you are going to do something stupid, do it for a good cause! This now brings us to where we are now. 

So, here goes… I need to try and describe to you how insanely difficult this task is going to be. Basically, about 18 months ago, I could barely run for a bus without being out of breath, and now, I’m attempting to follow in the footsteps of people like Miguel Indurain, Marco Pantani and Eddy Merckx and tackle the second highest paved mountain in the Alps! Take it in numbers, this mountain scares the pants off me. Created in 1825 by engineer Carlo Donegani, it took more than 2000 men five years to complete and earnt Donegani the nickname Progettista Dell'Impossibile, the “designer of the impossible”. 

Back to the numbers, my attempt will take me out of the town of Bormio, which sits at 1200m and head onto the Stelvio itself, from there on its a constant uphill struggle, for the next 22km to the summit at just under 2800m. This climb is over a mile of vertical ascent, with an average gradient of 7.5%. No wonder it has been known to crack the legs of some of cyclings elites, and no doubt I will feel the pain in my little legs for some time afterwards, and legs is the whole reason I am doing this. 

Legs4Africa to be precise. 

Legs4Africa is a charity that collects and sends used prosthetic limbs from the UK, where they cannot be redistributed and sends them to places they are needed. Last year my Co-pilot and support driver Chris Mawby and Jamie Cooper drove a minibus filled with prosthetic limbs all the way to the Gambia. This time for this great cause, we are going to use my little pins. So get your wallets out and make a donation.

Many thanks for all your support.

Richard Braidwood