A KEEN Stratford cyclist is seeing double after completing a gruelling 500km bike ride in aid of a life-saving blood cancer charity – for the second time.
Geoff Cousins took part in the Cure Leukaemia Cycling Club’s London 2 Paris ride in June and helped bank thousands of pounds.
Geoff, the chairman of Cure Leukaemia and quality management provider G&P, joined a peloton of 150 cyclists in the prestigious event commencing at the Greenwich Observatory and concluding at the Eiffel Tower.
The band of cyclists were on a shared mission to generate £150,000 in support of Cure Leukaemia. The collective pot currently stands at £212,000 – £62,000 more than the target goal.
And £2,300 of this, Geoff personally raised himself.
This year’s event was Geoff’s second. He took part for the first time in 2021 but missed out on last year’s ride due to Covid.
Every penny of the cash raised will go towards funding specialist research nurses and clinical roles across the UK, giving patients access to pioneering and potentially lifesaving treatments through clinical trials.
Geoff became chairman of the Cure Leukaemia charity after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2005. Geoff was one of the 38,000 people diagnosed with blood cancer each year – one every 14 minutes.
He said: “Participating in the London to Paris bike ride is a deeply meaningful experience for me. I’ve had the privilege of meeting incredible individuals through the charity, and their strength and determination inspire me every day. Gio, the 82-year-old man who completed the expedition for the twelfth time was a personal highlight and inspiration for me.
“We were covering around 75 miles a day with around six to seven hours in the saddle. I naively thought my second ride would be easier than the first, but with so many hills throughout the ride I was quickly reminded how difficult it is, especially when it’s 30° Celsius.”
To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/geoff-cousins4
