As the title of this mail suggests, my begging bowl is out

I’ve been riding for Cystic Fibrosis cycling team for the last year, racking up around 1500 miles on two wheels after looking for a new form of exercise following diagnosis of a degenerative spinal issue a couple of years ago. I joined the team after being introduced to cycling by a friend whom is one of the members of the team. Based in Barnsley, many of the 400 UK-wide riders have family or friends whom have Cystic Fibrosis, Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-shortening inherited disease, affecting almost 10,000 people in the UK, clogging vital organs with thick sticky mucus. There is presently no cure, CF is the most common inherited disorder in the UK, with average survival ages estimated to be 37 years for women and 40 for men. They are the UK’s only national charity working for families with CF and to find a cure. www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk Whilst other worthy causes such as BHF, Cancer research etc. receive huge sponsorship sums throughout the year, we need to work harder to raise awareness and hopefully find a way to a cure.

So, with this in mind, doing my bit for the team, on Sunday I’ll be riding one of our two annual cycle events, the 65 Roses Holme Moss Classic (I’m aiming for the long route (65 miles and 6000ft of climbs - http://65roses-holmemossclassic.co.uk

Also, if any of you fancy dusting your bike off and taking part, it’s a well organised event and people of all ages and abilities can take part, no matter how fit you are. It would be great to see you on the start line come Sunday.