I’m Jed and I’d love your support for the 2.6 Challenge. I hope you'll sponsor my 260km commute to work at the charity Body & Soul for the whole of May, wearing my dad’s historic cycling jersey (the same club top Chris Boardman wore in his 1993 world hour record).  In fact, let’s make it 2 x 260 km as I do have to get home every night, even if it’s just to sleep! It’s 10km to work every day at the moment, 7 days a week.

I’m one of many people having to work at the moment, supporting vulnerable families, young people managing their mental health and those on the front-line in health and social care.

But there’s one other thing I’d like to share that’s driving me.

My dad died just a couple of days ago on the 27^th April. 

Brian had been an otherwise healthy 89-year-old who this time last week was still pedalling every day on his exercise bike. There’s so much I could tell you about him, but I know he has influenced me so much in life. I get my determination from him for sure, but I also got my love of cycling too. He was a member of the local North Wirral Velo from the 1980’s when my twin, Nick, was racing road and track along at the same time Chris Boardman was emerging as the star of the club – he’s just a couple of years older than us. For the 23 years I’ve worked at Body & Soul, Dad was always there with advice and encouragement, sharing his wisdom from his years in the army (The Cheshire Regiment) and his years of service with John Lewis Liverpool.

He always asked me about the young people at Body & Soul who come to our 'You Are Not Alone Programme' who are at risk of suicide and self-harm. He had such a strong sense of care and compassion for them and always asked me how everyone was doing. He never met them or knew their names, but it was like he watched over them from afar. If you’re watching now dad, I’ll keep pedalling for them and I’ll almost certainly keep pedalling for you. Lots of love, Jed.

Final extra note: My twin Nick renovated my dad’s racing bike last year, his handbuilt ‘Ian May’. We’re now making this the 260 x 2 x 2 Challenge because he will be doing his commute on dad’s bike to his job as an Engineer on a Mersey tug boat. So between us it'll be 1040km over May 2020. He’ll be getting his old fitness back in no time, but not sure he’ll be threatening Chris’s world hour record yet;)