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In a moment of madness on Boxing Day (aka after one too many drinks) I decided to enter Struggle Moors - a 180km bike ride round the North York Moors, with over 10,000ft of ascending. 

There are 5 main hills to climb (plenty of slightly less nasty stuff in between), most of which are around a mile long with significant sections above 25% gradient. The last two are the most nasty and come at 85 and 91 miles - gulp! For a taster, see the below videos of Caper Hill (aka Glaisdale Horror) and Rosedale Chimney Bank (described thus on one webpage "It starts off as a decent 5-10% gradient, getting steeper on occasions up until you pass the cattle grid. Then it just goes mental.") - I wish I hadn't! It's fair to say you're going to get a LOT of suffering for your hard earned cash!

UPDATE - the husband of a friend of my wife's regularly marshals at this event and heard I was entering. His response? "I hope he's fit, it's a b*****d!!". Oh dear...

https://youtu.be/zSvVL_lriw8

https://youtu.be/JfSShPJXGb4

Training got off to a cracking (literally!) start by breaking my collarbone two days after entering, but thankfully things have  gone a bit better since!

I'm undertaking this idiocy in aid of Alzheimer's Research UK - my dad is currently living with the condition and it has been awful seeing someone's memory and cognitive function deteriorate - a once active and engaged musician, hiker and computer buff now unable to do any of those things. In his youth he was a keen and decent standard cyclist, and over the last 15 years adopted Yorkshire as his home. So undertaking this event in particular seems especially apt.

All associated costs (entry fee/accommodation/travel etc) are being covered by me so your money will be being used as effectively as possible. I also have a direct debit set up with Alzheimer's Research UK so am giving to them myself regularly.

Any donations, no matter how small, will be very gratefully received. Thank you so much for anything you can give.

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.