Simon
On the 29th April 2016, Simon undertook a 3-day solo ride with just his bike and a tent. The route was from Winchester to Eastbourne and back, using the South Downs Way and the Downs Link and in total it was roughly 160 miles and 15,000ft climb.
Why did you choose to raise money for the Jim Cronin Memorial Fund?
“I am a fairly fit person and love to mountain bike and run. Last year I came off my bike and broke my ribs which put me out of action for nearly 6 months. I knew it was going to be hard to get my fitness back so I decided I needed a challenge to gear myself up to get back into training. I had been reading books about normal folk going out and having adventures and micro adventures, mainly by two great authors; Tony James Slater and George Mahood. What I wanted to do was push myself as far and as hard as I could and that is when I made the choice to try and raise some money for a charity.
I knew instantly which charity it would be, the Jim Cronin Memorial Fund. It was in 1991 that I first visited Monkey World and became aware of their great work and ever since have followed their transformation and all the great work they do, not just in the UK but Worldwide too.”
How was the 3-day bike ride?
“I finished my 3-day ride and it turned out to be an epic ride. By far the hardest thing I have endured but it was worth it for the money I raised for a fantastic charity. On day 1 I rode for 12.5 hours with 4 of them hours in rain, snow, sleet and hail. Day 2 was glorious weather and I reached my target destination, but in the evening the weather turned and my tent froze along with the sleeping bag so day 3 was cut short due to no sleep.”
How much money have you raised?
“In total I raised £647.00 with £145.00 of that coming in the form of donations that were on the wish list for Monkey World. It was a great experience and has now made me want to do more challenges and raise money for you, I will start to plan my next adventure soon.”
The Jim Cronin Memorial Fund want to congratulate Simon on having completed his 3-day solo bike ride, and thank him for raising over £600.00 for the charity! You can find his Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Simon-Lloyd-southdownswayride