Chef Aidan King’s Epic Cycle Needs Your Support
Chef Aidan King is cycling from Lands’ End to John O’Groats to raise money for The Bike Network
On 19th – 27th April Aidan and 5 friends are cycling from Lands’ End to John O’Groats, raising money for The Bike Network with all proceeds going to the charity direct.
Over the 8 days they will cover 1500km and 13,000 meters of elevation. This is the longest ride you can do in the UK. The length of the United Kingdom and with nerves, exciting and most definitely will be some tears, this ride is a mega challenge, all for a great cause!
Aidan is a chef, always has been. After doing 15 years of motor cross as a youth, then road cycling in 2017 and in 2019 he gave it up and took up mountain biking after being knocked off by a car. In 2021 he made a comeback to road cycling.
Aidan said
“Cycling gives me that emotional and mental release. Our industry is not easy, we do long unsocial hours and everything builds up, and cycling for me is a sense of freedom, it allows me to get out and release that stress and free the mind, it’s great for physical and mental condition.
“I come across Adam, founder of The Bike Network via Instagram as I made my road cycling comeback. Wanting to do work with a more “direct to consumer” charity I messaged Adam and together we have travelled 800+ miles to collect donations and also first hand delivered bikes to customers who are being given the gift of cycling to help with the cancer journey.
“We are here to support the cancer community by supplying cycle equipment to patients, survivors and their direct family members”.
Cycling doesn’t only benefit the body, it allows time to digest and think over what is happening. Whether that is during diagnosis, treatment or after all clear when you’re anxiously awaiting news from a follow up with a consultant or scan.
People give bikes that Adam rebuilds, reconditions, and uses used and new parts to rebuild bikes. They are given to people who apply and who are affected by cancer.
Adam, 31, founder of The Bike Network was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer in 2017.
Adam and his wife Jamie had just had a little boy who was only 2 months at the time, their lives were catapulted on to a roller coaster of tests and appointments.
He started a 3-month chemotherapy treatment but after 2 months the cancer shown no signs of improvement. He was sent for an emergency operation to have a colostomy formed before starting over 5 weeks of daily radio chemotherapy.
Thankfully this treatment was a huge success and after a major operation I was given the amazing news all the cancer was removed.
