My lifelong friend, Eric Hodge (Ex-Welsh Guards), rode Lejog (Land's End to John o' Groats) in 2009 to raise money for Help for Heroes.
He had an army support vehicle plus one army rider to keep him company. He enjoyed(!!) it so much and raised around £5,000 for the charity.
He confided in me that he would like to do it again when he was 80, which would have been in 2011. I replied that if he did go for it, I would ride with him... and that's how we left it. Sadly, around 12 months later, he went down with cancer and was lost inside 6 months.
So, in memory of a great friend, I will be cycling Lejog this July, just in time for my own 80th birthday in August!
Any donations much appreciated - all funds will go to support Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Thank you.