Big Rides for Big Reasons is a phrase that I have printed on my jersey, and one that always rings true. The fact is that all of my rides are for a big reason, being my own personal health and wellbeing, but it is nice when they can be for an even bigger reason than that, and I am happy to announce that this year’s Transcontinental Race will be for a very big reason.
Oce again this year I will be raising money as I ride for the mental health charity Beyond Blue.
I’ve always loved riding my bike, but it was actually Lance Armstrong who made me think that I should be doing more if I could. I’m not exactly the hugest fan of Armstrong, but when I followed the 2009 Tour de France I would see messages all along the roads thanking him for bringing hope to people struggling with cancer. Whatever else I may say about him, he did do that, and in some way he made the world a better place through it. But anyway, seeing the proof of the good that he had done made me realise that I should be doing something good for the world myself, so for my next big ride I decided to raise some money for a few charities – two mental health charities and one individual who was at the time fighting cancer and in need of some support.
It went pretty well and I raised some good money, so I decided that was a pretty good way to go about things. In later rides I narrowed down to supporting one particular charity, and at the moment that charity is Beyond Blue.
Beyond Blue works to help people suffering from poor mental health and raise awareness of it in our community. The irony is that most people are aware that there is poor mental health in our community, because at one time or another they have suffered from it themselves. What is less well known is just how commonly that happens.
It was something I have always seen as important having had several close friends and some family members who have struggled with it, and having struggled with it myself at various times. The really good news though is that these days I am seeing more people who are prepared to talk about their mental health problems, which is a huge step towards addressing them.
I’m aiming to raise $4,000. Hopefully that will work out to be around one dollar for every kilometer I ride on my journey from Burgas, Bulgaria all the way across Europe to Brest, France. Of course, if the ride goes badly and I don’t get to the finish it could be a much higher ratio. On the other hand, if the fundraising goes really well it could also be a much higher ratio! I’ll hope for the second, rather than the first. If you want to contribute, the place to do it is here. Of course if you don’t want to contribute that is also OK, I often decline to contribute to charities that I strongly believe in, for a whole range of reasons. You can still help though if you want to, just by sharing the link. The more likes, shares and reposts I get the greater the reach and the bigger the difference we can make together!