An Altrincham man cycled over 960 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats to help raise over £21,000 for Francis House Children’s Hospice.
Phil Adams was part of an eight-strong group for the famous ride, which saw them cover the distance – which involved 46,000 feet of climbing and an average of 108 miles a day in the saddle – in nine days.
Returning to his day job as CEO of Manchester-based financial advisors Altium, Phil said the pain had been “well worth it”.
He said: “It was a fantastic, challenging experience made special by the amazing scenery, superb organisation, great camaraderie and many messages of support.
“Before May I hadn’t ridden a bike regularly for over 25 years, and that was a daily three-mile commute. It’s fair to say that my start-of-training weight of 100kg wasn’t quite in the Chris Froome category, so the hill training has not been fun.”
He added: “Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, it was well worth a little bit of pain. On the upside I also got to eat more food in a week than I normally would in a month, without putting any weight on.”
It’s the second serious challenge Phil has taken on – five years ago he completed a 100k running challenge across 10 countries in Europe in five days, helping to raise over £100k for the NSPCC.
Phil was inspired to fundraise for Francis House by his daughter, 15-year-old Eleanor, who dances at the Cardwell Theatre School in Atrincham.
He heard about the hospice during the school’s annual show, which has raised £78,000 during 13 years of support for Francis House.
“Whenever you meet anyone who has come into contact with Francis House you appreciate what an inspirational organisation it is and how much it means to the families it supports,” he added.
Kate Puc, fundraising officer at Francis House, said: “We are extremely grateful to Phil for taking on the Ride Across Britain challenge, and for raising such a fantastic amount in sponsorship.”
