Fulwood grandad to cycle 300 miles from London to Brussels for charity

A Fulwood grandad is cycling from London to Brussels via Amsterdam to raise funds for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

John Farnden sets off on the 300-mile trip on Wednesday 4 September. He will make the journey on a very special bike, which has already taken him safely from London to Paris in 2016, and Paris to Geneva in 2017.

The bike was bequeathed to him by his son-in-law Ric Clark. Ric became a stalwart Rosemere Cancer Foundation supporter after the charity helped him through treatment for stomach cancer. Sadly, Ric’s cancer returned and he passed away aged just 35 in December 2015.

John said: “I had the London to Paris ride planned before Ric died and he asked me to use his bike, which I did and I have continued to use it ever since. It’s never given me any trouble.”

John will cycle from London through Essex to Harwich to catch an overnight ferry to the Hook of Holland. From there, he will cycle to Amsterdam and then on to the Dutch town of Breda before heading to Brussels. Each day, he will be in the saddle for more than seven hours.

Last year, John switched from cycling to join Rosemere’s first-ever expedition to walk the Great Wall of China. He was joined by daughter Leonie, Ric’s widow.

He has already signed up to be part of Rosemere’s second expedition, which will follow the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in October 2020.

John said: “I celebrate my 66th birthday in September. My aim is to continue to do an annual challenge for Rosemere Cancer Foundation for as long as I can.

“I’m not sure about how much more biking I will do but I enjoy walking so my next year’s plans are already sorted.”

To support John with a donation, visit his JustGiving page.

Find out more about Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s work to bring world class cancer treatments and services to its patients on the Rosemere website.

What do you think of John’s cycle challenge? Let us know in the comments below.