The story of Steve and 60-60-60
Maybe it’s the number on Steve’s combination bike padlock, maybe not…
60 miles cycling in 60 consecutive days to finish on my 60th birthday (or thereabouts). That was the challenge I set myself in 2023 to raise £3600 (£1 per mile) for Parkinson’s charity.
Hi, my name’s Steve & I can hear you asking why? Simply because a former work colleague with 2 young children was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his early 40’s and I came to recognise what a terrible disease it is.
I have been a cyclist for many years, mainly time trials in the late 1990’s and a few Sportives and other events, including Land’s End to John O’Groats on my 50th birthday. However, this new challenge was going to be different. Not only the large distance day after day, but just to make things that little bit harder I decided that I would ride some days on my 60 year old Moulton bike and why not put my 1970 3-speed Triumph roadster to good use too!
July and August seemed the perfect time to take on such a challenge, with potential warm sunny days in the saddle. But little did I know that things don't always go to plan. On day 4 a wasp decided to enter my mouth, fair enough I guess as it's often said I talk too much anyway, but the painful result was that my chin resembled that of Popeye. On August 5th the country was hit by storm Antoni and on many other days the weather was less than kind with torrential rain and strong winds.
Friends and fellow riders from Stourbug joined me on numerous occasions and gave me not only their company but also their encouragement to finish the challenge. With their help and that of many others I managed to raise £4300, having completed 3936 miles - that’s the equivalent of 4 times from Land’s End to John O’Groats, and climbed 7 times the height of Mount Everest and lost over 14lb in weight. It may not directly change my friend’s life but it will add to much needed funding to provide the vital research needed to conquer this disease.
I am so grateful for the help I received from Stourbug members and I continue to ride regularly with them.
And yes, after many days and many miles of pedalling I did finally complete the challenge: 60+ miles for 60 consecutive days!