Story
Thanks for taking the time to find out more, folks.
On Bank Holiday Monday this May, I'll be doing something that up until about a year ago was definitely not my 'kind of thing'.
Those of you who've known me for a while, or even just a couple of years, will know that the prospect of 20+km on the open road is not a hobby that you'd usually associate with me.
But having turned over a new leaf at the ripe old age of 30, this offers a terrific chance to raise money for a cause that has affected me and my family personally, and get fit all at the same time.
My grandfather, Ian, suffered from Alzheimer's and dementia. Watching his slow deterioration across several years, and the impact it had on my grandmother, was one of the most painful emotional experiences of my life.
My mum has worked for charities which do fine work in helping families cope with the disease, while my wife's family has also been affected.
Dementia and Alzheimer's are complex conditions which require significant research to understand. And they need significant funding to help educate the public, people who may well find themselves and their loved ones affected, and try to get rid of the stigma that comes with each case.
I've chosen a charity local to where I live because... well... it's easy to forget the importance of community.
If you can spare a few pennies to help with that fight, all in the name of the guy who loves nothing more than a session in the pub plodding 13-and-a-bit miles around those famous concrete cows on a traditional boozing holiday, I would be forever grateful.
Love to you all,
Sam