Why we’re doing this

Sam and Joe are very new to cycling.

So new, in fact, that everyone who knows anything about the sport has told us we may have bitten off more than we can chew. So, we have enlisted our mate Dave to chaperone us on the journey. Dave has done some cycling before, knows how to change a tyre and is not new to endurance type events after spending 51 days in a boat rowing the Atlantic.

So here we are, the 3 of us, staring down the barrel of quite a daunting task.

In January 2023, our uncle Chris died suddenly, just 3 days before Sam’s daughter and Joe’s niece Erin was born. He suffered a cardiac arrest while body boarding in the Canary Islands, doing what he loved most, and his life was tragically cut far too short.

Chris was an absolute legend. He never took life too seriously, was always there when you needed him and was the self-confessed best dressed man in South Wales cruising around in his vintage camper vans. He was one of those people who made life lighter just by being in it, and we all miss him dearly.

As a lifelong surfer and body boarder, and despite never having children of his own (which meant he avoided the well-known bottomless pit of childcare costs), Chris chose to spend that spare money in the best possible way, generously supporting various charities.

Part of what Chris left behind is now being used to support South Wales based Surfability. Surfability encourages people with additional needs to get into the water and experience the freedom and joy of surfing, something Chris made the most of his whole life.

He left us in exactly the way he would have wanted to go.

Now, we want to honour him, remember him, and raise as much money as possible to keep his generosity alive by supporting Surfability.

The challenge

Our plan is to cycle 1,000km across Portugal, the country Chris did a lot of his surfing, from the most northern tip to the most southern tip, over 5 days.

That’s around 130 miles a day.

Since starting cycling, we have quickly realised just how big an ask this is. But we’ve now told far too many people to either shorten the distance or add more days… so we’re locked in for five days, 1,000km, and some very sore bums.

How you can help

We know there are lots of fundraising requests and that times are tough, so we’re genuinely grateful for any support.

If you’re able to donate, every contribution will go towards supporting Surfability and the incredible work they do, helping more people experience the freedom and joy of the water.

This fundraiser is being organised by us, and funds raised will be passed on to Surfability in support of their work following the challenge.

Thank you so much for reading, supporting, and helping us remember Uncle Chris in a way that feels true to him.