Jul 20 – Big Cheers For Clock To Rock Cyclists
It’s been a gruelling two weeks for three cyclists who completed the Clock to Rock challenge, in aid of Cancer Relief and the Gibraltar Disability Society.
Mark ‘Coops’ Cooper, Simon Morgan and Graham Dyer completed their cycle challenge from Big Ben to Casemates, making their way through France and Spain in soaring temperatures.
Crowds cheered as the three men rode into Casemates Square on Saturday morning, after cycling through the frontier, up Line Wall Road and through Main Street accompanied by local cyclists, wheelchair users and a unicyclist joining them at the frontier or the Piazza.
Mark has carried out various fund-raising events, including a karaoke night and the Med Steps Challenge, and has surpassed his target of £5,000 for Cancer Relief, but is aiming for more.
Speaking on his arrival, Mark said: “Physically and mentally the journey was not the problem, the only thing that got us in the end was the heat as you can imagine.
“The one thing that kept me going was getting home to my wife Emma.”
Simon said cycling from London to Gibraltar was emotionally, physically and mentally challenging. He had an accident on his third day into the journey and suffered due to the heat just a few days before completing the challenge.
Raising money for the Gibraltar Disability Society, Simon said: “It is nothing compared to what the people go through every day, for whom we are raising the money and awareness.
“It is that that pulls you through the tough times and the heat - you want to make it for these guys and make it for the charities.”
Graham has only been cycling for two years, but it is something he wanted to do and was glad to do it with two of his best friends, even though he suffered with really bad heat stroke and was going to finish a day later.
“France was really pretty, and we knew Spain would be bad because of the heat,” Graham said. “I kept going because I was looking forward to seeing my family again.”
A spokesperson for Cancer Relief said: “We are so lucky to have people like these guys supporting us.
“It’s not just the time, it’s also the effort that they put in - these guys care about us as well, and are willing to do so much to support us.”
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