Penwortham man cycling over 100 miles to raise money for Baby Beat

David on his bike — David will be completing the ride in September. Pic: David Rose

A Penwortham man is planning to cycle over 100 miles in under 12 hours to raise money for Baby Beat.

David Rose has recently completed a challenge climbing 4,000 flights of stairs in under 12 hours to raise money for the NHS Charities Together.

This time, David is taking on the Fred Whitton challenge which is one of the most popular sportives in the UK and is ranked alongside the European events such as the Marmotte.

David said: “Nearly four years ago my friends Mark and Amy had a little girl who they named Harper. On the 2nd September 2020 she would have turned 4.

“Unfortunately Harper stopped breathing at home and passed away at only two days old.

“With this in mind, myself and friends have decided to raise money for the fantastic charity Baby Beat based at Royal Preston hospital.

“They support newborns into the world by giving them the best opportunity of survival at such a vulnerable time.

“My friends and I needed to think of something that would challenge mentally and physically so came up with the Fred Whitton cycling challenge.”

The challenge is also deemed to be one of the most difficult one day cycling events in the British Isles at 113 miles, covering an ascent of over 5000m.

The ride will start at Grasmere and taking in climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott and Wrynose and Blea Tarn Passes.

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Baby Beat supports babies and mothers being cared for in the maternity units at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Appeal was founded in 1987 by a group of midwives and a Consultant Obstetrician who wanted to provide more foetal monitoring equipment for the growing maternity unit at the old Royal Preston Infirmary.

The ride will begin at 6am on Saturday 12 September and David is hoping to complete the challenge in 12 hours.

If you would like to donate to David’s challenge, you can visit his JustGiving page.

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