Hi, my name is Sam. Last year, I lost my brother after a long struggle with addiction and mental health.

For periods of his life, he was also on and off the streets.

There are parts of his story that are difficult to talk about, and parts I’ll probably never fully understand. But losing him has made me think a lot about how someone ends up in that position. How quickly life can unravel. How difficult it can be to find a way back. And how important it is to have someone there when you’re ready to try.

This project is my attempt to turn some of that loss into something positive.

At the end of August, I’ll be taking on Badlands, an unsupported ultra endurance off road bike race of more than 800km through some of the most remote and unforgiving terrain in southern Spain.

I’ve raced Badlands before in 2023 and finished 6th. I know how deep you have to go to get through it. The lack of sleep, the heat, the isolation and the moments when your head is telling you to stop.

But this time, the race means something different.

Alongside Badlands, me and my friend Jay are creating a documentary about my journey into cycling and racing and some of what has sat behind it.

I didn’t always have a clear direction in life. There were years where things could quite easily have gone another way like my brother. Cycling became something I could put everything into. It gave me purpose, discipline, community and eventually took me from simply riding a bike to competing in some of the hardest races in the world and even representing GB in the 2023 UCI Pro Gravel World Championships in Italy.

Then last year everything changed when I lost my brother.

The film will explore that journey honestly, the good parts and the difficult ones, and use Badlands as the backdrop to a much bigger story about direction, addiction, mental health, homelessness, grief, resilience and the things that keep us moving when life gets incredibly difficult.

Badlands might be the physical challenge at the centre of the film, but the race isn't really the story. People are.

Why Help Bristol's Homeless?

I wanted this project to have a purpose beyond making another cycling film.

Because of my brother's experiences, homelessness is something that now feels incredibly close to home.

That's why we're supporting Help Bristol's Homeless , an independent charity in my home city that works directly with people experiencing homelessness.

Their philosophy is simple: housing must come first.

They provide safe accommodation and support to help people move away from the streets, regain stability and begin rebuilding their lives.

Behind every person experiencing homelessness is a story. A family. A sequence of events that most of us will never see.

Sometimes what someone needs most is an opportunity to start again.

Turning a bike race into something bigger...

Jay, my friend (We Move Collective) will be joining me in Spain to capture Badlands from the ground, the landscapes, the exhaustion, the highs, the lows and whatever happens somewhere in those 800+ kilometres.

But the story won't end at the finish line...

We'll bring the film back home to Bristol, where we'll shoot the more personal side of the story and spend time with Help Bristol's Homeless to show the work happening here.

The aim is to produce a roughly 30-minute documentary, followed by a proper film premiere in Bristol over the winter / early 2027.

I want that night to be about much more than watching a bike film.

I want to bring people together, start conversations around subjects we often struggle to talk about, and raise meaningful money for people who need it at Help Bristol Homeless.

Where your money will go

I want to be completely transparent about this.

90% of everything raised through this fundraiser will go towards Help Bristol's Homeless and supporting the work they do.

The remaining 10% will contribute towards our travel and production costs of making the documentary, helping us get Jay, the filmmaker to Spain, capture Badlands and complete the wider project back in Bristol.

I'm also personally putting my own money into making this happen.

Nobody involved is doing this to make money from my brother's story. The goal is to create something meaningful from an incredibly difficult chapter of our lives and use it to help others.

If this reaches one person, it's worth doing.

Badlands will hurt. There will probably be moments when I'm exhausted, sleep deprived and questioning why I'm still riding year after year.

But this time I'll have a pretty powerful answer.

I'll be riding for my brother.

I'll be riding for the people who are still struggling.

And I'll be riding in the hope that something born from a very difficult place can ultimately do some good.

If you can donate, thank you.

£5, £10, £20, whatever you're able to give genuinely matters.

And if you can't donate, please share this page. Getting the story in front of more people is just as important.

Thank you for reading, supporting the project and helping us support the incredible work of Help Bristol's Homeless .

Thank you,

Sam and Jay.