In March 2020 when COVID really started to take hold I decided to quit smoking and improve my health further by going for a bike ride. I was lucky that running a computer business was essential work, and so I cycled in every day. I was also giving support to vulnerable people stuck at home and so would cycle then too.

A daily ride became a week, a week a month, then a year without missing a day on a bike. I am now approaching my final goal of 1000 consecutive days, and will have cycled around 30,000km in total and not smoked a single cigarette!

I have been supported and encouraged along by my amazing, loving and understanding wife Patricia, and also by a great group of cycling friends, The Jollies, here in St Albans. Strava was also a great motivator to get out in all weathers, for improving on segments, finding routes and of course fitness, all helped along by kudos and comments as I completed various milestones.

My Strava Challenge will end my 1000th consecutive day of bike riding in support of Atypical Work Space. I am a trustee of this small charity which provides a safe working space and paid employment for neurodiverse adults, helping them on a path to leading more independent and rewarding lives. The charity receives no external funding so the money raised will be of enormous benefit.