A dental practice manager who cycled for more than 11 hours to help raise vital funds has thanked the community for its support.
Chris Cummings, practice manager at Mydentist in Peterborough, took part in the challenge at the beginning of July after a colleague, Simon Wellen, was diagnosed with a terminal neurological disease 18 months ago.
On the way, Chris stopped at all 14 Mydentist practices along the route – including Lynn and further afield in Wisbech, Huntingdon, Peterborough, St Neots, Cambridge, St Ives, and Warboys. At each stop, he was cheered on by staff and served snacks to help fuel him for the next stage of the journey.
So far, Chris has raised more than £2,000 on behalf of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, which supports people living with MND across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Chris said: “I enjoy cycling. I ride often, and I maintain a good level of fitness. I cycle casually with friends, and I race distances usually of between ten and 25 miles.
“We had a meeting in June, where we discussed any ideas we had to raise funds for MND. One of my colleagues suggested I ride my bike for an event, to which I suggested I could perhaps ride around all of the practices in our area in one day, depending on the total distance.
“When I went home that evening, I checked a rough route which totalled more than 200 miles. I do maintain a good level of fitness, but the longest ride I’d done this year was 108 miles, and I originally had no plans to match or surpass it. If I’m completely honest, I was not sure if I could make it 200 miles.
“With a rough pace in mind, I created a rough schedule for the day so I could plan my nutrition. I spent around an hour refining the route to try and ensure as safe a ride as possible.
“The other practice managers were happy to support me and told me to let them know what to have ready.
“I have read before that during an ultra-endurance event, comfort is a very important factor, so I requested a mix of sausage rolls, samosas, and cookies – not the diet of an athlete exactly, but containing the nutrients I would need while being good comfort food.
“In the end, I stuck to the plan, and it all went well apart from a stop on the roadside at mile 160 to repair a puncture. The stops at each practice made the day really special. It was fantastic to see what they were all doing on the day to help raise funds and awareness of MND.”
Pete Collins, the association’s senior corporate partnerships executive, said: “We are so grateful to Chris for taking part in this extraordinary event and for the teams at each practice who did so much to help raise awareness of MND on the day.
“The money raised will help us to support more people affected by MND while also investing in the research projects which give us the greatest hope of a world free from MND.”
You can still support Chris’ challenge by visiting www.justgiving.com/team/mydentistpeterboroughcambs.
