THREE CHALLENGES PART 2

Hannah Exley is raising money for Nottingham University Hospitals Charity

In memory of SUSAN BEARDSLEY

Story

THREE CYCLING CHALLENGES COMPLETED IN MEMORY OF A VERY SPECIAL PERSON!!!

Message from Hannah and Darren:

'Dad, we're really proud of you for what you've acheived this year and we know that mum would be too. Stay positive and keep those pedals turning. PPP!!!'

MORE ABOUT MY CHALLENGES:

In 2010 three challenges were successfully completed by myself, and my children Hannah and Darren along with our family and friends. These were the Robin Hood Marathon (Darren), Cycle from Ilkeston to Snowdon (Myself) and the Three Highest Peaks in the UK (Hannah). These challenges were inspired by and undertaken in memory of my wife Sue, who lost her brave fight against ovarian cancer in 2010. Those who knew Sue, will remember her positive attitude to life and how she loved the outdoors and thrived on a challenge.

It’s 2011 now and I’ve decided it’s time for me to undertake three more challenges both for myself and in memory of my wife. These challenges are:

FIRST CHALLENGE Cycle from London to Brighton (57 miles) – 06 May 2011 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED IN 7 HOURS

SECOND CHALLENGE Cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats (1000 miles approx) – 10th-26th June 2011 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED IN 15 DAYS

Challenge Diary:

Days 1 and 2 through Cornwall and Devon have been hard with lots of hills to climb and made worse by the inclement weather conditions. The Bike Adventures team he's cycling with are good company and they're all keeping each others spirit's high. Dad's already got a nickname, the group know him as Grandad. :-)

Days 3 to 6 - Dad has now cycled almost 400 miles and passed through Somerset, Wales and Shropshire. Despite being the eldest in the group, he's managed to come in first two of these days. He says he was helped by a few of the faster members of the group getting punctures and coming in late.

Days 7 to 8 - He'll be heading towards Clitheroe and then onto Kirkby Stephen. He's getting a little saddle sore now and wishes he'd bought a more comfortable seat.

Days 9 to 11 - He's made it across the Scottish border but there is still a long way to go yet. Despite generally having good weather on the trip, the rain reached them again making this part of the trip difficult.

Day 12 - We met dad in Fort William and fortunately the weather had picked up. With just three days to go, he's looking really well apart from an awkward walk from his saddle sores.

Days 13 to 14 - Up through the Scottish Highlands with some amazing scenery to help him along the way.

Day 15 - The final leg of the journey was not without its challenge as the wind was against them the whole way. Dad kept going with the rest of the team who reached Land's End together for a well earned glass of champagne. See photo to left of dad with his wingman Rob (aka Rab C).

THIRD CHALLENGE Cycle from Coast to Coast (Hollyhead to Skegness) – 01-03 September 2011

SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED IN 3 DAYS!!!

The final challenge was successfully completed by Dad in 3 days (one day shorter than he'd expected), travelling 81 miles the first day, an epic 103 miles the second and 76 miles the third day.

The weather was good over the three days of the challenge and the only bit of bad luck was Dad realising he'd forgetton his map, phone and wallet 1.5 hours into his final day. Despite having no map or money for food Dad soldiered on and arrived at Skegness and hour before the welcoming committee.

As with the first set of challenges I’ve decided to raise money in support of the 'Nottingham University Hospital Breast and Gynae Oncology Research Fund' , which is specifically used to undertake clinical trials into ovarian and breast cancer. The trials are available to Nottinghamshire patients and amongst other things, are used to develop methods of determining the biological markers that indicate how a particular patient will respond to a treatment, and in turn, which treatment options a patient would find most beneficial. It is the hope of the research team that patient-tailored treatment will become the norm in the future. Those people who have been affected by cancer know that getting the right treatment fast could make a big difference, and this is why I have chosen to support this particular research fund.

Thank you for visiting this website and I hope that you decide to sponsor me and support a local charity that could make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Thank you and I hope to see you somewhere along the route.

Jeff xxx