I have had several family members and friends die of several different cancers. That's the stark truth of it. Some I nursed, or helped nurse, some I watched from afar silently. Some I never found out about until after the event.

If you have ever seen someone go through treatments for these diseases, watched the treatments take the toll on them, then after it all, still be told, sorry, it wasn't successful, it is probably the most painful thing I have ever witnessed in my time on this planet. Even when it is successful the treatments take such a toll both physically and mentally on a person, that they are never the same. The person nursing them and witnessing this, is also changed, irreversibly.

So why, this? Simple really, I want to help find better ways of dealing with what is becoming a very common illness....

Why Bloodwise and not some other charity? 100% of money raised goes to research or treatments, and I have witnessed family members die of Leukaemia and Lymphoma.

Why this event? Who knows... I like pushing my body to new limits all the time, when you consider I have Fibromyalgia, 2 displaced discs and a bulging disc (and some cool MRI images) and add to that the fact that I am of the bigger persuasion, and the last thing I should be doing is riding a 100 miles over hills which Olympic athletes used... but I am, yes, it is really, truly going to hurt, I have never ridden this distance before, yet I will. I have 8 hours to complete it in, and I will do that.

So it's simple really.... Please give generously and help fight these terrible diseases.

Thank you.