The last thing on the list…

Nine years ago my mum was diagnosed with leukaemia. To deal with the stress of this, I would go out on my bike for an hour or so and cycle around my local village which is how I got into the sport. 

One year later, despite the best efforts of the Royal Marsden my mum sadly died. On her death bed, we talked through the things I was going to do during the rest of my life and I made a list. 

Eight years on, I have done all of the things on that list except for one - Cycle from London to Istanbul… so on Friday 2 June I’m going to do just that. 

I plan to start at London Trafalgar Square at around mid-day (Friday 2nd June), cycle down to Dover, catch the ferry to Dunkirk and then ride on to Istanbul. The ride will take three weeks and will be in aid of the Royal Marsden to try to repay them for all the amazing treatment and support they gave my mum.

For the first four stages to Frankfurt I will be riding with Mike Gates (a friend from my local cycle club), and from Budapest to Istanbul I will be riding with my brother Matthew Holmes, with support from my father Richard Holmes and his friend Liz Hollobone. From Frankfurt to Budapest I will be riding solo.

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity raises money solely to support The Royal Marsden, a world-leading cancer centre. We ensure our nurses, doctors and research teams can provide the very best care and develop life-saving treatments, which are used across the UK and around the world.

From funding state-of-the-art equipment and groundbreaking research, to creating the very best patient environments, we will never stop looking for ways to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.