Meet Nigel: cycling for a cause

When Nigel’s son was brought into Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) as a baby, his family were overwhelmed by the care and treatment that they all received. Years later, Nigel is still setting huge personal challenges and raising money for GOSH Charity, including completing the London to Paris Cycle ride last July.

“Like many, I wanted to raise money for GOSH to give something back to the hospital for the care that had been provided to my son in the early stages of his life. Although his illness was not terribly serious compared to others, when you visit the hospital, you do see the need to do something to help others, as well as the staff and facilities they provide.”

The London to Paris Cycle ride proved to be the perfect challenge for Nigel, and not just in terms of his personal fitness goals.

“I have gained so much from this. Besides the obvious improvements to health and fitness, having the target of raising funds has helped my mental well-being and instilled a belief that if you put your mind to something and persevere, you can succeed. My only regret was not doing it sooner."

“I have also been amazed by the support from friends and colleagues who have also helped play a part in this. During the training and at the event itself I have made many new friends – hopefully for a lifetime. Many of us continue to meet after the challenges and plan new fundraising initiatives for GOSH for the future.”

Although Nigel loves cycling, he readily admits that the training took hard work and perseverance, particularly in winter.

“In winter I got out less often than normal, so had to look at swimming, indoor exercise or just climbing the stairwell at lunch time to balance out the loss of riding time!

"Joining a local cycle group helped as there was always someone to go out with and chat to. I also joined a training event which was a great way to get a feel for what to expect on the start line, and it was good to meet others and share ideas.

“I never felt like I was doing the challenge alone. GOSH always supported with fundraising initiatives, along with training advice and what to expect on the start line. Everyone is so friendly – they feel like an extended family! Our GOSH coordinator on the ride also joined in and cycled on some of the legs which was a great way of interacting and engaging with everyone.”

“There was a great camaraderie to the London to Paris Cycle. The ability to ride together and talk along quieter roads means time passes by. There were people doing this challenge for many different reasons, and with varying levels of fitness. Everyone worked together to get to the finish together.

“After 300 miles in the saddle, nothing beats the final leg of riding round the Arc de Triomphe. Cycling down the Champs-Elysées and along to the Eiffel Tower the day before the Tour de France arrives gives a monumental sense of achievement – with passers cheering on and taking photos. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

“We all want to improve our fitness in the new year, and it is often the hardest time to train and stick at it. Taking on a challenge is a perfect way of having a goal to work towards, start off slowly and gradually build up.”

And how is 2019 looking for Nigel?

“No big challenges on the bike for 2019. I want to enter the RBC Race for Kids with my son this year for GOSH. I am a little mad and do love cycling up hills or mountains, so I plan to start ticking off the 100 climbs in the UK, which will be good practice for tackling Stelvio, Italy, later in the year. Did I say nothing big?”

“Stick at what you are doing but be realistic so you don’t set yourself to fail. Think about the time you have and fit around this.

"Try and set yourself targets to reach, be it for training or fundraising.

“Remember the difference you will make. At least you are out there doing something and not sitting on the sofa doing nothing!

“If you struggle to find time to train, use your commute time. I would try to ride in and out of London once a week instead of taking the train for a sixty-mile workout.”

Fundraising

“Social media is a good fundraising start and everyone at work is a sucker for a cake sale!

"If you have a marketing team at work, see if someone will donate some time to create some better quality posters to promote your cause.

“I also had a cycle trainer so I brought that into work and pedalled in the morning for a few hours raising well over £100. I did the same in my local town and raised close to £500 in one day. It took a bit of organising to get the necessary permissions, but it was well worth the effort in the end.

Feeling adventurous? Sign up to the London to Paris Cycle today!