Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. TeeJ, Duncan and I have signed up to the Alzheimer's Society's London to Paris Cycle 2017 (19th-22nd July 2017).  At 330 miles in 4 days, it looks pretty epic.  I can't thank TeeJ and Duncan enough for committing to this - really does mean a lot.  We've been training hard and, thanks to your generosity, raised the qualification amount of £3,000 between us by 4th May to be allowed to go on this journey together! We need £4,500 in total, but would love to smash beyond this...so do please donate what you can as it all really helps.

At the age of only 62, Alan Purvis (Al / Alan / Big Al / Daddy) was officially diagnosed with this cruel disease. At just 67 years old, he lost his brave battle with Alzheimer's.

We knew very little about it back then. What we have subsequently learned is incredible, and we've been continually trying to raise awareness and knowledge of what Alzheimer's is all about since then.

It is not just an "old age illness". It is not just about "becoming forgetful". It strips away dignity from the sufferers who become incapable of tying their shoe laces, brushing their teeth, feeding themselves, undressing, going to the toilet unaided etc. etc..

So, a huge thank you isn't enough for TeeJ and Duncan. For those who don't know them, they've provided some blurb on their motivation for this below.  All you need to know is that Duncan is a talker and a Spurs fan, TeeJ is too cool and a Liverpool fan, and I'm grey-haired and a United fan.  Duncan's ability to talk the hind leg of a donkey with consummate ease could be a welcome distraction should our legs start trying to give up on us!  Either that or we can just argue about football.

TeeJ Sutherland: "So what do you do when a guy you've never met (in real life) before who takes every opportunity to take the mick out of your beloved footie team asks you if you fancy cycling from London to Paris over the course of four days? Well if you're me and it's to help raise money for an awesome charity like Alzheimer's Society then of course you say HELL YEAH! I like to think I'm a pretty avid cyclist but this will be the furthest (328 miles!) and most I've ever ridden over such a short period of time (four days!). Please give whatever you can to help us hit our target and I'll gladly accept any offers of massages or possible limb replacements that may be needed when I make it back from this epic journey!"

Look, TeeJ did Burning Man last year, so he's mad enough to nail this.

Duncan Bowtell: "I've known Dan for about 12-13 years. There's lots that can be said about him, but I promised to keep this clean. I'll even try not to use any cliches. To know Dan is to know that he's a man for whom personal relationships mean a great deal. Team mates are friends. Friends are family. And family....well, I guess I won't know, but given how important the other two are to him, I know that it's really important. I know that he loves all of them dearly, it's the biggest part of who he is. Family is all to Dan - though that definition ought somehow to include Manchester United.

That's why it was hard to watch Alzeihmer's make a slow insidious incision into that firmament. Dan's Dad was diagnosed with the disease around 5 years ago. Slowly the disease robbed not only Dan, but his mother, his sister and his own children of a husband, father and granddad. Last October his father finally succumbed to this awful disease. There's not a lot you can do to stop this death sentence, not at the moment. 

Rather than be helpless to this disease, and in hope of a better future for others, Dan pledged to do what he could to do help fight back. In the same way Dan has supported me as a friend and team mate I am riding to Paris in support of his fight. I'm riding to Paris with Dan in the hope that research and funding will help one day end the suffering of this disease.

I'm certainly not doing this to hear him bang on about United. Paris is a long way!"

Duncan cycles more than regularly and has done legs of Tour de France - we'll be looking at him to pull us along!

As for my motivation - that's pretty clear - so here's a little insight into why I'm a Red and why giving up is easy.  Daddy was a lifelong United fan; of course I also got the Red Bug - I was hooked, even though we were pretty average 35 years or so ago!!  So imagine my excitement to get a call from him saying he had tickets for the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich in the Nou Camp, Barcelona!!

He couldn’t have written the script any better: our seats were behind the goal in which we scored that late, late equaliser, and then that dramatic last gasp winner.  We nearly missed it because we were still celebrating the first goal!

United fought to the bitter end in that game.  Something synonymous with United.  Something synonymous with Daddy.  Something he did in his brave fight against Alzheimer’s.  Something I hope, for the sake of surviving this cycle challenge, he has somehow instilled in me!

Never give up.  Stay strong.

By the way, if you want to join our Team, then be sure to have a penchant for lycra, let one of us know, and sign up here: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/homepage/225/london_to_paris_cycle

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.