As many Islanders will be sitting back in their gardens enjoying a restful VE Day bank holiday, cycling-mad charity fundraiser, Ian Gregory will be well into his first 12-14 hour shift of cycling a target of 350 miles.
Over the long weekend, Ian will be based at the Church on the Roundabout, Coppins Bridge, Newport, as he cycles a virtual Lands End to John O’Groats ride for two charities close to his heart, Prostate Cancer and the NHS Covid-19 Urgent Appeal.
Against the odds
For the last few years Ian has set himself mammoth targets to cycle thousands of miles in aid of the charity, despite the fact that he has Fibromyalgia, eight damaged discs in his spine, Arthritis and Tempro-mandibular dysfunction disorder.
Ian tells OnTheWight,
“The Church on the Roundabout have been very kind as they have donated the use of the building, the power and the Internet for this event, so I’m very grateful to them for this.”
The long ride north
Ian started cycling at 8am this morning (VE Day) and plans to complete at least 350 miles over the 12-14 hour shift.
He’ll be returning to the church on Saturday and Sunday to continue the journey. He hopes to have completed the 1,084 miles by Sunday evening.
Ian says,
“This will be the biggest ride I have ever done and will be four times harder than normal, as I will be there all alone. No one to chat with and not much to see! A real isolation ride!”
Live streaming the ride
Ian is live streaming via his Facebook Page and will be doing Zwift rides four times per day so others can join him.
Ian says,
“This is such a difficult time for all charities big and small, so we need to do what we can to help keep the money coming in. I’m so grateful and proud of our NHS at present, it’s only right to do what I can to help the Isle of Wight make a fundraising contribution to the cause.
“I would ask everyone to do their best to share our Page, our posts and this event with everyone they can, including any NHS staff they know.”
Show your support
You can find out more on Ian’s Facebook Page and Twitter account.
If you are able to show your support you can donate via Virgin Money Giving Site.
