The Cancer Club is all about bringing men with cancer together at a variety of sporting events to provide not just emotional support from others “in the same boat” but to provide an outlet, a way to escape the everyday grind created by cancer and to bring some light-hearted relief to their lives. Supported by a private, online forum, we want to make a practical difference to people’s lives, helping them to feel better than they did prior to being part of the 'club' that no one wants to join.

Our dear friend Vinny Eagle has sadly found himself a part of this 'club'. What he said though is that this charity and the support they have provided him, has been invaluable in the battle of his life. They’ve provided support, guidance, and words of comfort from a perspective that those who’ve never suffered from Cancer will hopefully never be able to fully comprehend. Because of this he asked me a couple of months back if I would be up for doing another charity event to show his support – at 1^st I wasn’t so keen (walking 5km everyday in the rain in January really dampened my charity spirit) but seeing how Vinny continues to battle the Big C and faces his toughest challenge head on, with a positive mental attitude regardless of the suffering he is going through I decided I had to do something…

So… In order to show our support to Vinny again and another one of the charities behind him in his time of need, myself and 5 friends have decided to cycle the Coast to Coast from Whitehaven to Tynemouth over 3 days on Mountain Bikes (the Mountain Bike point is key, as they do not move like road bikes, the closest ratio of effort I’ve managed to get off the internet suggest it’s 3x as hard as doing it on a road bike – don’t tell Tait or Clarky!). We will set off from Tynemouth at 6am on the Friday (if I can actually wake up at this time), in the back of a Transit Van and will essentially be people trafficked across the country to Whitehaven where we will then take an obligatory photo before the suffering begins. After that we have approximately 50 miles to cover each day over some of the highest hills in the country stopping at some very dodge youth hostels in Penrith and Rookhope - I wanted 5*s and spas but I was over ruled :(. Then all going well we should hope to be in Tynemouth sometime in the later afternoon/early evening on Sunday, after over 24 hours in the saddle for a celebratory dip in the sea and a cheeky pint!!

I would like to tell you we have all been taking this very seriously and that we have done months of hard training but that would be a comical lie. In all honesty, we are possibly the least fit, exceptionally overweight, out of shape bunch of cyclists to ever try this challenge. If we all manage to make it I will genuinely be astounded!!! However, what I can promise is we will give it a damn good shot and I will make sure I document every crash, tear, tantrum, whine and moment of weakness. Expect a lot of sound bites of Nicol and Clarky complaining about who has the sorer arse - yes, they will be sharing a double bed… and yes I will be taking ear plugs…

The Coast to Coast Athletes Bios:

Stephen Clark (Clarky): 7ft3, doesn’t fit on a bike. Training has involved a 500m cycle to the local kebab shop every day, hoping that double chilli sauce will help him when the hills get spicey!!!

Ross Hall (Ross): The Pharmacist. Volunteered in the aid of science. Hoping to find out if THC can help in the pursuit of the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong has already been in touch hoping his magic THC homebrew may be the key to that elusive 8^th title. Will also supply as many sweets as anyone can consume, as long as he doesn’t get the munchies too early in the journey!!

Stewart Nicol (Stew): The runner, the athlete. Likely to suffer the most after Clarky let’s down his tyres and jams on his brakes. 50:50 on making it to the finish – Jenny may demand he’s got some house work to do 1^st.

Dan Wood (Woody): The drop out - dead to us. Whether it was the fear of the hills or fear of sharing a bunk house with Clarky, he has pulled a tootsie and had to drop out. The fund are however looking forward to the £100 penalty to be added to the sponsorship page!!!

Zack Wylie (Zak): The replacement. Practically the same as Dan in every possible way. A once professional runner (just like Dan), 29kg in total body mass (just like Dan), a hill climbing specialist (just like Dan), a mere 26 months old (just like Dan) and also sporting terrible tattoos (just like Dan). Be almost impossible to tell them apart if they were both on the ride. Claims he is on the ride for fitness and to support this great cause but we all know he is really on the ride to increase his Tinder radius and maximise his matches!!! He is DTF!!! That's Down To Finish before any of the ladies on this page get too excited!!!

Richard Beverley (Me - Bev): The brains of the operation. Likes to moan, hates the rain, often throws a tantrum and will blame everyone else if we get lost. Plus points, superb cameraman, likely to get much footage of Dan and Clarkys failings and Stews reactions to his meetings with 'The Pharmacist'.

Joseph Tait (Tait): The quiet one. Probably won’t hear from him much on this trip. Be important to do a register at the end of each day just to make sure he has made it to each check point safely. Likely to drink 15 pints of stella en route and fall asleep in a bush. Hopefully won’t require being carried up any stairs this time.

So anyway, as you can see this is going to be a sufferfest and likely a disaster so you are therefore obliged to donate cash to help Vinny and The Cancer Club. Annnnnddddd its for a good cause so you have no excuse – link on this page, you know what to do!!!