Grandad’s 10,000 mile cycle for cancer charity

The Portadown pensioner aims to finish the 10,000 miles cyclathon he started just before lockdown in October.

Paul, who is registered disabled, has already raised £1,000 for Cancer Focus NI and hopes the public will chip in a few more pounds before the finish date.

He has clocked up nearly 9,000 miles so far and is still going strong.

The veteran cyclist and his wife Carol, who is a cancer survivor, are both members of the Cancer Focus NI Sing for Life choir, which has recently started rehearsing again via Zoom.

“Almost everyone I know has been affected by cancer and particularly as Carol and I are members of the choir, and at a time when charities are really struggling, it seemed a good time to try and raise funds for Cancer Focus NI,” he said.

“I started the challenge at the beginning of the year and cycle a minimum of 45 miles every day. I set off about seven in the morning and keep going for about five hours. I’ve probably done about 7 or 8,000 miles before in a year but I’ve never reached 10k.

“I’ve been pretty active since the age of 30 and have done a lot of running for various charities. When I was 60 I climbed Kilimanjaro for Cancer Research and I thought I would use this big birthday to try and do something more.”

You can donate to Paul’s cycle through Cancer Focus NI’s Justgiving page.