I was having dinner with my friend Andrew and his dad Philip last year when Philip suggested that I should ride to the Le Mans 24 hours race IN 24 hours. This idea got my attention and the plan was born.

I love cycling and I love going to Le Mans. I'm also a big fan of JOTA, a leading WEC team that run out of a small village on a farm in rural Kent.

From such an inauspicious location, they run now the works Cadillac team in the World Endurance Championship and count Jenson Button and Sebastian Bourdais amongst their driver line up.

JOTA liked Philip's idea and so I agreed with them that I would start from their premises. To add some jeopardy to the challenge, I am going to be transporting a Titanium Wheel Bolt that will be used by the pit crew for the duration of the race.

I figured that I could complete the ~80 miles to Portsmouth to catch the afternoon ferry to Caen. Arriving there at 10pm, I plan to cycle the 110 miles through the night to arrive in Le Mans the next morning.

I first started going to Le Mans in 1989, and my friend Bob and I started going together in 2002 and went every year together until Covid stopped play in 2020. In 2022, he sadly succumb to prostate cancer and I'm going to be arriving in France on the 9th of June which would've been his 75th birthday.

In 2003 my daughter Maddie was treated at GOSH for kidney and lung cancer, I've decided to make this ride a charitable fundraiser event to help fight cancer and for this event, we are helping to raise funds for GOSH who are working on their new Childrens Cancer Centre. Find out more by visiting:

https://www.gosh.org/the-childrens-cancer-centre/

This challenge is for me to cycle the 190 miles from JOTA to Le Mans in 24 hours.

I've never ridden this far in one go before. Previously my longest ride was 116 miles overnight on the Dunwich Dynamo. This is another step up from that as I will have already ridden approximately 80 miles to get to Portsmouth prior to the 110mile overnight slog to Le Mans...

I appreciate that there are many fabulous fundraising events that we all get asked to contribute towards but if you could find your way to throw a few pounds towards this little mad cap adventure, I will be most grateful.

And no more bright ideas please Philip 😜

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