Last Saturday I completed the coast to coast ride from Whitehaven to Sunderland. I had originally intended to undertake the ride mid summer’s weekend but had to postpone due the weather conditions.

It was 141 miles, with about 8000ft of climbing,

Setting off from Whitehaven at 07.40 on Saturday morning I arrived at Roker Pier in Sunderland at 2.00am Sunday morning.

18 hours 20 minutes with 15 of those hours sat in the saddle pedalling.

A bowl of porridge, 3 plates of pasta, 14 litres of water, countless energy bars, chocolate bars, nutrigrains, cakes and bananas, 4 changes of clothes, 3 sets of light batteries, no punctures or mechanicals, 2 navigational errors, 9,000 calories burnt off and a can of John Smiths to finish the day!

Today I am shattered. The ride is fantastic, with a well thought out route and I would recommend it to anyone who is vaguely interested in cycling, perhaps not in one hit though!

On New Year's day I along with other friends received the sort of telephone call no one wants to receive.  A friend Kate, had been involved in a accident whilst kayaking on the River Rawthey in Cumbria.  Despite the best efforts of those who where with her and the air ambulance airlifting her to hospital in Preston, Kate passed away 2 days later.

Kate was a practising physio and lectured at York University.  In life she "fixed" people.  In passing she continued to "fix" people as an organ donor.

To raise money in support of the air ambulance I am going to ride the Coast to Coast, Whitehaven to Sunderland route, starting Saturday 23rd June and finishing some point thereafter on Sunday.  Its 140 miles, some of which is off road.

The air ambulance is theres for us all should we be unfortunate enough to need it.  It makes a difference, saving lives!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.