I lost my father in 2003, after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. He had 18 months diagnosis to death. It is a terrible disease where the victim loses the use of their body but not their mind. It is so hard to deal with for family and friends.

The disease is affecting more and more people. I am thankful that it is being publicised via people like Kevin Sinfield who is doing so much for his friend Rob Burrows, they are both Leeds Rugby League legends for those that do not know. The disease although having no boundaries seems to favour sportsmen especially rugby, football and American football. Famous people we have lost through MND include obviously Doddie Weir, Stephen Hawking, Ronnie Corbett, Don Revie and David Niven. Players from my beloved Derby County include Rob Hindmarch and Jeff Bourne. 

I am lucky to have friends around me undertaking this cycle ride that are connected with rugby. Some have lost team mates to MND. The link to My Name'5 Doddie fits perfectly.

I will be 60, just after hopefully completing this challenge. I cannot think of celebrating it a better way than raising money for this charity, remembering those lost to this disease and hopefully making my Dad proud.

I have started training indoors on Zwift and want to thank members of the Wobble Cycle Club for making me feel welcome. You can see my efforts on my Strava account which is attached to this page.

If you can donate anything I and the team will be truly grateful. It will go towards helping victims of this terrible disease and their families. Thank you for reading.

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.