The idea of cycling to Northern Spain from home in Guildford has always appealed to me due to the fantastic cycling routes available and the logistically simple ferry crossings from Santander and Bilbao. I'm fortunate enough to have a window of opportunity to do this,  so on 19th September, I'll be riding solo and unassisted from Guildford to Portsmouth, taking a ferry to St Malo and then pedalling my way to Santander over the course of 2 weeks. A "Santander Cycle" that I definitely won't be performing on a Boris Bike.

Whilst the cumulative distance involved (1200+ km - precise route to be finalised) is way beyond anything I have done previously, I do a lot of cycling, taking on cycling challenges for "fun" and the original motivation to do this ride was not for charity. 

However, just a few weeks ago, a close family member lost consciousness due to a cardiac arrest and would definitely not be with us today were it not for the swift actions of a neighbour who performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. I am pleased to say that they are making a full recovery having had an ICD fitted.... but it could have been so different.

I've also had my own heart issues with an arrhythmia in my early 30's that I am thankfully fully recovered from but I personally benefited from some of the excellent resources that the British Heart Foundation provide.

I have therefore decided to dedicate this cycle ride to raising awareness of CPR training and raising some money for the British Heart Foundation. I've ordered my BHF cycling kit but expect most impact to come through this page.

British Heart Foundation do an amazing job in so many different ways, but one of these is providing simple CPR training. There is online training available (https://revivr.bhf.org.uk/) that takes 15 minutes and there is simply no good reason not to invest this time, so you are in a position to help save a life (most likely of a loved one) should you ever witness a cardiac arrest.

So please.... if you don't know how to perform CPR, then learn! If you do know, then refresh your memory. If everyone reading this can make sure they know how to perform CPR then I'd be delighted and it will make pain on the hills of Northern Spain, with 1000km in the legs worth it.

In addition to making sure you can do CPR, if you are in a position to donate to British Heart Foundation then your money is going to support an excellent cause. Even the smallest donations count for a lot, especially if you learn how to perform CPR too!!