Well, there's no backing out now. Bel has booked her travel up from Somerset and together we'll be cycling the new North East 250 route over four days from 23-26 May. 

To quote the official route website: "The North East 250 explores everything for which Scotland is famous in a unique route through the whisky distilleries of Speyside, the spectacular mountain passes of the Cairngorms National Park, the famous castles of Royal Deeside, the Granite City of Aberdeen, the rugged North Sea coastline to the east, and the picturesque seaside villages of the Moray Firth Coast.

There'll be no support team to look after us (unless any kind soul would like to volunteer), so we'll be on our own. Given that neither of us has the slightest aptitude for bike maintenance, it could get interesting.  

But why are we doing it? 

Cancer is on the rise, as I'm sure you know. While 100 or so years ago, you would have had a 1 in 50 chance of getting cancer in your lifetime, you now have a 1 in 2 chance. Only medical research will turn that around. And here in the remote and rural North of Scotland, there's a particular need to boost cancer research so that more patients can benefit from taking part in trials of the latest treatments, and to help attract the best cancer doctors, surgeons and nurses to the region (which can be a challenge). 

Two years ago, a £4.5 million appeal was launched to establish a world-class cancer research programme at the University of Aberdeen, serving the North of Scotland. Many of you generously supported Lisa's fundraising cycle in 2018. Thanks to your support, the appeal is now tantalisingly close to hitting the target to accelerate research and benefit patients across the North of Scotland. So this is the final sprint, to get us over the line.

You gave so generously last year and we are enormously grateful.  If you are able to be part of this final push too, that would be amazing. 

Thank you so much.