If you’d never ridden a road bike and had done very little exercise for almost two years because of a back injury, you probably wouldn’t fancy joining a charity cycling team setting out to ride 3,343 miles across the USA in just four months’ time. But Dean Peake-Whitehurst, a senior technician at Business Micros, is doing just that, as part of the We Mind and Kelly Matters mental health and suicide prevention charity’s ‘Loneliest Road’ fundraising ride.
The challenge will see two teams of ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ cyclists, drawn largely from the window and door industry, take on one of two epic cycle rides in Europe and the US, starting on World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September and finishing on World Mental Health Day (10 October). The European team is to ride 1,900 miles through Spain, France and Germany in 10 days before passing the baton to the USA team, who are to ride from Newark on the east coast to San Francisco on the west in 17 days.
There’s an added layer to the challenge for Dean, as his colleague, Business Micros technician and the more experienced road cyclist, Kevan Howarthm is part of the European team. Dean said: “Hopefully the only competition between us will be around who can raise the most sponsorship because it’s an incredibly important cause.
“Our managing director and experienced charity cyclist Graeme Bailey suggested we might like to take part and neither of us hesitated – despite my obvious lack of experience! Like so many of us, I’ve had family experience of mental health issues and I know that this ride is for something bigger than just me.”
Kevan agreed: “I can never turn down a challenge anyway, but once I learned more about the story behind We Mind and Kelly Matters, and the amazing work the charity’s doing in raising awareness of mental health and supporting those who are struggling, I was determined to sign up. We’re both well into our training plans now and having met all the other members of the team on our first group ride. We know we’ll get great support and no doubt have an unforgettable adventure.”
Both Dean and Kevan are appealing to family, friends, customers and colleagues from across the industry to sponsor them on the ‘Loneliest Road’. Their Justgiving pages are online at justgiving.com/fundraising/dean-pw and justgiving.com/fundraising/kevanrhowarth.
