Having been training in earnest since January this year, I’m off to France this weekend to tackle some of the Alps’ biggest mountains as part of the cyclo-sportif ``La Marmotte.’’

To give you a sense of what I’m up against I thought I would enclose a description from an impartial source, namely Wikipedia:

Covering a distance of 174 km (108 mi) and with 5,180 m (16,990 ft) of climbing, the route is considered to be one of the hardest of any cyclosportive and comparable to any of the most challenging high mountain stages of the Tour de France. Several famous Tour de France mountains feature; the Col du Glandon, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier and the final ascent of one of the legendary Alpe d'Huez.

Now clearly you must be thinking that I’m a sucker for punishment, or overly willing to be a part of the ever increasing droves of weekend MAMILs (Middle Aged Men in Lycra), or maybe vainly hoping to follow in the footsteps of Bradley Wiggins. All would be appropriate, but additionally I’m keen to raise funds for an extraordinary place named the Harefield Hospital.

 

My wife Vanessa lost her father John earlier this year after a long struggle with heart disease. He faced his illness valiantly and was helped incredibly by the expertise, comfort and skills of the extraordinary staff of the Harefield, which is part of the Royal Brompton Hospitals.

 

The ground breaking work of Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub set the direction of the hospital throughout the last decades of the 20 century, and Harefield developed an international reputation for its pioneering work in heart and lung transplantation. Many lives are saved each year by the highly skilled and dedicated teams of professionals at Harefield who provide specialist care for patients from throughout the UK and beyond. For some of them, already turned down for treatment elsewhere, Harefield quite literally represents their last chance.

 

The hospital attracts expert clinicians and researchers from all over the world who strive to push through the boundaries of research, innovation and treatment. As new and innovative treatments are developed, increasing numbers of patients can benefit – heart surgery is now regularly offered to patients in their 80s and 90s as well as to those with particularly complex conditions. The money I raise will directly support our clinical teams enabling the hospital’s pioneering work to continue to make a difference to the lives of patients now and in the future.

 

I would be so grateful if you would consider supporting me and the Harefield and their fantastic activities