Date of Departure:
Friday 24th June 2011

Duration:
12 days aiming for 70 miles/day

Matt Hannah, 23, reports ...

I have had a great desire for many years now to challenge myself for a cause that has had a massive effect on my life and I am pleased to announce that in June 2011 I will be cycling the length of Great Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.


Six of my friends have agreed to join me and we will be riding in my mum’s name, which I am so proud about. I will be joined by Bruce Robertson, 23, Graeme McKinley, 23, Nick Forrest, 24, Nick Waterman, 24, Fraser Young, 23, and Andris Apsa, 22.



We are affectionately known at ‘The Chain Spokers.’

Cycling is relatively new to most of us but something I am keen to continue for many years to come and perhaps tour other countries. “The guys have been great and been on board ever since I asked them to join me back in September. They all agreed to ride in my mum’s name straight away without thinking about how hard the challenge will be. There’s not much more you can ask for from your friends and I am really proud we will be doing this together.”

Alison Hannah lost her life to cancer (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) in April 2003, aged just 41, after spending her last few weeks in the Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh. I am dedicating my challenge to the work of the Marie Curie charity because of the great care and support the nurses at the hospice gave to my family.

They dedicate their time, free of charge, looking after terminally ill patients either in their own home or in several hospices around the UK that means some of the patient’s last wishes can come true. “Everyone who knew Ali were all blessed to have had her in their life and the near-900 mile ride is a challenge she would have relished and tackled with characteristic vigour. I feel this is a fitting tribute to her life and her memory.”

Our ride will take us from Land’s End to John O’Groats via Bristol, up through Shropshire and west of the Pennines until we reach Carlisle. From there we will again be sticking west through Scotland heading for Fort William so that we can cycle through the Great Glen and experience some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK until we hit Inverness.

John O’Groats - the most northerly point on the mainland - will then be firmly set in our sights. Overnight stops will be around the areas of Penzance/Land’s End, Oakhampton, Bridgewater, Bristol/Hereford, Telford, Preston, Penrith/Carlisle, Kilmarnock/Ayr, Crianlarich, Fort William/Fort Augustus, Dingwall/Ardgay & Wick.

We aim to achieve all this within 14 days, which means we will have to average 70 miles per day!

It won't be easy, but borrowing Lance Armstrong’s reflection upon conquering the Tour de France for the first time in 1999, “neither is living with cancer.” We will be staying in Youth Hostels and B&B’s en-route but we are looking for friends, family and kind people to provide accommodation for us to keep the costs down.

As part of our training Graeme, Nick Waterman, Bruce and myself travelled to the Isle of Arran in April for a weekend of training. “

It was a good test of fitness with 8 weeks before our departure for Land’s End as we were fully laden with our equipment to take on the challenge of the undulating terrain which included a steep 667ft climb. It was the first time the majority of the group had ridden together and we all enjoyed the experience.”

Provisional Route

Arrival - Penzance

- Day 1. Launceston/Oakhampton, Devon.

- Day 2. Bridgewater

- Day 3. bit of a shorter ride to Bristol or continue a bit north to Hereford?

- Day 4. Telford.

- Day 5. Preston.

- Day 6. bit of a wide radius here. Penrith, Carlisle, or Annan at a push

- Day 7. Kilmarnock/Ayr

- Day 8. Crianlarich. Looks pretty rural, no idea what civilisation is in this area of Scotland

- Day 9. Fort William or Fort Augustus

- Day 10. Dingwall/Ardgay. Shame it looks as if Carbisdale is off the agenda cos this would have been perfect.

- Day 11. Wick

- Day 12. 20 miles to JOG to where, hopefully, our welcoming party will be there to greet us and capable of transport home gratis.

Not sure which of the places are likely to have squash clubs but would be great if you could post it on the message board or something ???

Support the Cause

If you would like to support us in our efforts for Marie Curie, and all the great work the nurses do, I have set up a website where you can donate online on
our JustGiving page

Follow on Facebook

ESC Evening

We have already raised over £3,000 and are aiming for a total of £5,000.

On the 2nd April 2011 we hosted a race night at the Edinburgh Sports Club and raised over £2,500 on the night, which was an amazing amount.

We were at capacity of 100 guests, made up of friends, family and Club Members, who enjoyed the racing action along with a raffle, an auction and karaoke – which I nicknamed ‘Curie-oke’ for the evening due to the cause we were raising funds for.

Thanks to our Master of Ceremonies, James Banks, of James Banks Joinery, the night was very successful and Andrew Forrest, Chairman of the Edinburgh Sports Club (and father of fellow rider Nick Forrest) did a great job as Guest Auctioneer for the evening.

I also have to thank Watermans Solicitors – Scotland’s leading Personal Injury lawyers – and their new iPhone app ‘The Accident Toolkit’ for their sponsorship of the evening which allowed some great raffle prizes to be donated. Lots of local companies also donated prizes for the raffle and auction which was very kind.