We did it! An amazing day in stunning weather surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery. The support and organisation was fantastic and a credit to the organisers.
Simon & I finished together in a time of 6 hours 34 minutes, 35th & 36th out of 2000 riders, so we are very pleased with that!
Thank you so much to all who have donated to our Justgiving page, it is a great charity, and a very worthy cause.
The only slight concern is that as we've reached our target, we get free entry in next year's event!!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Simon Ketteringham and Paul Lehan, who are both directors of Castlehill in Otley Road, Headingley, have set the wheels in motion for taking part in this year’s Fred Whitton Challenge by using pedal power to travel to and from work.

Ahead of them lies a 112-mile route around the Lake District that takes in the climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter and Wrynose mountain passes – as well as the energy-sapping 1-in-3 ascent of the Hardknott pass.

The duo will be wearing specially-designed Castlehill lycra for the challenge, which has raised more than £1m for charity since it was first launched back in 1999.

Simon and Paul are competing in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity which has benefitted from a number of fund-raising cycling challenges on which they have teamed up in the past.

As well as being one of the most popular cyclosportives in the UK, the event is also famed for being amongst the most arduous. The 1,000 riders that take part each year rank it alongside European events, such as the Marmotte, in terms of difficulty – upwards of 200 fail to complete the course. In 2014, two riders were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries in separate incidents that occurred in rainy but not extreme conditions.

Paul said: “This is a true classic in the cycling calendar. The very top riders complete the course in just under six hours - but eleven hours and over are not uncommon for the normal rider.

“This is a very tough route, especially as the Lakes weather in May can sometimes not be kind and it can often be very windy. But supporting such a good cause as Macmillan will spur us both on.”

Many cyclists use sportives like this one, which starts and finishes in Grasmere, to challenge themselves in a personal battle against the distance and then ultimately, the clock.

As the name suggests, the event is run in honour of Fred Whitton. Fred, who died aged just 50 in 1998, was an extremely popular member of the Lakes Road Club. In his capacity as club secretary he was full of enthusiasm for the club and ran it practically single handedly. He was the organiser of the Lakes Road Club Easter 3-day each year which attracted many of the UK’s top riders.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.