Peak District Rescue Round

What am I doing?

I'm aiming to cycle a 246km off road route linking the bases of the 7 Peak District Mountain Rescue Teams; starting at Derby’s current base (a flood-prone garage at the back of a sewage works) & finishing at the site of the New Base (a muddy field of dreams)... in less than 24hours.

Why am I doing this?

Derby Mountain Rescue Team http://www.derbymrt.org.uk/p/home is desperately in need of a base that will allow them to keep serving the community without annual flood damage and clean up operations, as well as space for training and operational oversight. A site and planning permission have been secured, but funding to finish the build is a huge challenge as (like all Mountain Rescue teams in the UK) the Team is a charity which runs entirely on donations.

As a member of Derby Mountain Rescue Team, I'd been planning an epic running challenge to fundraise for the team when I was knocked off my bike by a car. The resulting ankle obliteration means running’s out - probably forever. The solidarity the team have shown throughout my recovery has been fundamental to my perseverance, and the example within the team of those who’ve faced similarly daunting rehab journeys with courage and a determination to ignore theoretical limitations has been utterly inspirational.

I’ve adapted my original challenge idea to something I can ride, but the concept still aims to emulate some of the great 24hr running 'rounds'. With only 17 months to learn to ride and to train after my Ilizarov frame (advanced meccano holding the fragments of my leg together) was removed, it will push me to the absolute limits of my psychological and physical capacity… Especially now I’m operational again, and training will interrupted by Call Outs!

When:

20th July 2024

How can you get involved, if you’d like to?

Donating via the GoFundMe button, and sharing this GoFundMe link on social media are the two best ways of supporting my efforts and the Team’s New Base fund.

I’d love it if people felt they wanted to get involved in the event itself, either by following the tracker online ('dot watching') or by meeting me at one of the bases (especially if you're a member of one of the other teams and could spare a cup of tea!).

People wanting to crew, or to ride a section of the route with me please ping me a WhatsApp.