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12 Oct 2018

I have just returned from Venice, having cycled 640km from Munich over 5 days, with lots of climbing over Alps.

Thanks again for all the support and donations, you have made a huge impact to the charities, and through them have helped lots of children and people struggling with serious illnesses, and you can really feel well about your contributions.

From my side this was a massive challenge, but I have my heart full with the fact that I've achieved this demanding task, and have helped channel your support.

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Cycling from Munich to Venice - 640km / 400 miles with 6,000m / 20,000ft of climbing over 5 days.

For some time I felt that I should challenge myself to some long distance cycling and raise funds for a worthy causes. I was inspired by a friend Bruno, who has sadly passed away after a battle with cancer, but who was so positive and a true fighter through it all.

As I was looking at the Prudential 100 miles ride in London, I came across DeutscheBike trip from Munich to Venice. Wow! What a challenge - very long distance over multiple days, climbing up the mighty Alps. 

Please help me raise enough funds for 2 charities selected by Deutsche Bank - Cure Leukemia and Rays of Sunshine Children Charity. Also note that Deutsche Bank will do matched giving up to a certain point, so any donations will go even further.

My pledge:

• I will pay all the travel costs, so all donations go to charities.
• I will train hard and be ready for this ride. This will mean lengthy weekend rides, climbing lots of hills in Surrey, increasing my bike commute to work and hitting gym more often.
  
• I will complete the ride, even when it feels too hard to continue
• I will keep you updated on the progress of training and the ride itself
  
• I will get and share lots of photos
• And I will smile in photos at the Brenner Pass (1372m), the highest climbing point
• I'll do my best to get some small souvenirs from the ride to top 5 donors
  
  

Full details of the ride

http://www.adventure-cafe.com/Adventures/DeutscheBike-Munich-to-Venice-Bike-Ride-Trans-Alp

To follow my training and ride progress on Strava

 https://www.strava.com/athletes/8415152

Update 25-Mach-2018

Wow, you are truly amazing, thank you so much. Reached almost a half of the goal within a week, it just shows that there are so many caring people willing to support the less fortunate. And don’t forget that Deutsche Bank will match donations up to a point, benefiting charities even more.

As a first update, few things I’d like to share.

Why am I doing this? Some close people have called this “madness”

There are really 3 reasons:

• For a while, I really felt an urge to do fundraising on my own. I have participated in many, but never done it myself. The feeling that someone will benefit from this just makes it worthwhile.
• An amazing challenge to focus on, something I’ll be happy to have done. And don’t tell my wife, someone mentioned that this is not long enough to be a challenge (suggestions like Vladivostok to Lisbon were raised). Now that’s interesting, maybe next year….
• To shed (lots of) weight and improve overall fitness, having an actual goal makes it much easier to make small lifestyle changes.

How’s the training going?

I have had a niggling pain in my knee for past few weeks, so have not cycled to give it proper time to recover. Also working with physio to make sure it will be in top shape.

Did an early morning ride to test it (was out around 7am this morning, 6am prior to daylight savings), 2 laps around Richmond park, just under 40km/370m of climbs and knee worked fine without any pain or discomfort. So after the Easter break I’ll be back to commuting and longer weekend rides. For anyone interested details here: https://www.strava.com/activities/1470321428

I’m also preparing a gym training plan with a physio, to strengthen the core muscles. And also importantly, have lost 2.5kg over the past 10 days.

 Thanks again and I’ll keep working hard.

Dejan

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