I am fifty, a husband of one, and father of two who rekindled his passion for cycling in 2013. Normally, I’ll do one or two charity events a year, doing about 50 miles at each. But in these last couple of years, I’ve been doing something different. I’m doing one big ride for one big charity that really needs the support.

Over the past few years, my age has been catching up to me. I don’t recover as quickly as I once did, and the little niggles I had have turned into obstacles. My training last year was about half it has been for the previous years. So with the weight gain and less exercise, I’ve kind of gotten out of shape.

So this will serve as my backyard fire pit. I invite you to ride along with me, and hopefully show some support for my cause. The fundraising I am doing goes directly to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) to help fund research into medicines and cures for Type 1 diabetes.