Its that time again! Lets saddle up and cycle away from reality!

No better way to kick start our married life than taking Jules on her first cycle tour :D We are setting off on the 4th August to Cycle over 800 miles, from Rotterdam, down the River Rhine, and up to the top of Alpe d’Huez. We are following routes I travelled together with Sam and Dad during our other charity adventures, but now it’s time to enjoy these with the newest member of the Travers Clan. I will be so proud to complete this with Jules by my side, and carry the boys up to the top. This ride has so much meaning for me, but also gives me a chance to reflect over past memories I spent together with Sam and Dad.

Alpe d’Huez is a climb that we always dreamed of tackling together. The ICONIC summit from the Tour De France! We planned on doing this as we cycled from Sheffield to Monaco when I was 19, but unfortunately due to bad weather we were forced to alter our route. Sam and I then planned on scattering some of Dad’s ashes at the top following his long fight with Prostate Cancer. But due to Sam’s own fight with Brain cancer this unfortunately never materialised.

So now it is mine and Jules’ turn to fulfill this wish, and carry both Sam and Dad to the top and scatter their ashes. We will be there with our silly clicky shoes and some truly awful tan lines, but also a massive smile on our faces knowing we got you to the top in the end… not like me having to carry the team up a mountain again eh.. least this time you’ll both be slightly lighter :D

We are raising money for both Prostate cancer UK and Brain Tumour UK. In dedication to both of them and the battles they both faced. Both of these charities are crucial for the development of early cancer detection and state of the art treatments required. We want to raise awareness and money to hopefully one day bring an end to the suffering these 2 diseases bring.

Dad fought for nearly 3 years with prostate cancer after previously beating Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. He kicked cancer in the teeth time and time again, but sadly passed away in May 2023 at 63. This disease affects 1 in 8 men at some point in their lifetime, and in a lot of cases it is detected too late.

Sam’s diagnosis was a shock to us all. He had a migraine for a month or so. And at an opticians appointment, it showed that something was pushing on his optic nerve. This something turned out to be ‘Chunky’ (Sams pet name for his brain tumour). Even in the face of adversity he could still find a way to take the edge off and to make sure everyone around him could still have a smile on their face! As Sam would say ‘Be Reyt!’ The next 5 months were some of the worst in our life, and I cant put into words how devastating his battle was for us all. Sam went through successful brain surgery to remove Chunky, but in a blink of an eye the tumour had returned bigger than before. Just 13 months after losing our amazing dad we all lost my beautiful twin June 2024 at just 30. If there is one thing I can take from this Shituation, it’s just how precious life really is.

And this is why we are taking on this challenge - to bring more awareness for both these difficult to detect cancers, and to bring something good out from the bad! It’s what they both would have wanted.

No matter what we are all going through, always remember to take a step back and appreciate all the beauty that is around you. Hug your family, laugh with friends and do that thing you have always said you couldn’t do - you never know when you will get the chance again.

Thank you to everyone who donates, shares or follows our journey to the top. This isn't just for us - and our challenge is a drop in the ocean compared to what these brave sufferers have to go through.

See you at the top boys!

Take care and Keep smiling