16,000 meters of climbing from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean!

In a few weeks time Sophie and I will be undertaking a big cycle challenge in memory of our daughter Nell. We are following the route of the brutal Raid Pyrenean ride, although doing this over 10 days (to allow for our support vehicle containing our son and his grandparents so still see some of us over the course of the journey)!

We will be starting off at the at the Atlantic Coast just south of Biarritz and making our way across the Pyrenees mountain range taking on some of the Tour de France’s most famous and toughest Cols including the fearsome Tourmalet, standing at 2,115 m above sea level. There will be a 16,000m elevation gain (that’s nearly 2 x Mount Everest!) as we cycle across the mountain range, covering 723 km as we go. We hope to make it to the Mediterranean around 10 days later and celebratory dip in the sea at Cerbere.

I will be raising money for a charity called Maternity Worldwide. They work to give people in less fortunate circumstances than we have here in the UK with access to amazing medical care. Their vision is to work towards a world in which all women and their babies can access safe and appropriate childbirth regardless of where they live. Aiming to help reduce the number of women dying or injured in childbirth.

If you would like to donate to them in memory of Nell please do so here:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nell-sputnik

Sophie is taking on this challenge with me and will be raising money for Homerton Hope, a charity that supports the work of Homerton Hospital, where we received such amazing care. Julia (my sister) has just this weekend completed the London Marathon, raising money for a charity called SANDS, who support parents who have suffered from stillbirths and circumstances similar to our own. If you would prefer to donate to either of these causes you can find their fundraising pages on our team page here: https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/fornell

The current plan is for us to take on the challenge at the end of May, and start of June – which doesn’t leave much time for training!!!!

Thank you all!

John