Salisbury cyclist returns from big charity ride

Wednesday, 20 September 2023 01:00

Tim Stevens and the Inspired Living team that he rode with have completed their huge riding challenge, cycling from Rome to London.

Tim was part of a team of 28 who rode all or part of the journey, with Tim joining the riders in Milan and riding back to London over a two-week period.

The Inspired Living team, aged 21 to 74 years, are no strangers to this type of challenge or the cause. They’ve already raised £370,000 over six previous rides, reaching destinations including Gibraltar, Venice, Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona.

Tim, 63, from Salisbury, has played a huge part in Inspired Living’s commitment to beating cancer since the very beginning. The former construction business owner only used to cycle around 25 miles a week before he was involved in the challenge to raise money for research into over 200 types of cancer.

Tim & team at the top of Stelvio Pass, the second highest road in the Alps at over 2700m (Image: Tim Stevens)

The ride so far has raised a huge amount of money as it approaches the £70,000 mark, taking the team's fundraising over the years to well over £400,000.

You can add to Tim's personal fundraising total of around £7,000 by following this link - https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/tim-stevens-milan-london-september-2023

Tim has been taking part in the rides over the years because of his wife Heather's journey with cancer.

Tim, who has been married to wife, Heather, for 42 years, said: “I remember doing the first ride with some trepidation and wondering if I could actually do it, but the morale amongst the group was fantastic.

“Heather is my inspiration, though, because she has been living with secondary breast cancer for eight years and remains so positive. Her cancer is driven by the hormone, oestrogen, so she takes a drug called Letrozole to lower the hormone levels and try to stop the growth of her cancer.

Tim with his wife Heather and their Granddaughter

Tim spoke to Salisbury Radio on his return from the ride and revealed his added reasons for riding after a close friend was also recently diagnosed with cancer.

Tim said, "My good friend Michael was diagnosed with lung cancer two and half weeks before we left. Suddenly, without any real happenings, he got rushed into Southampton General in the early hours of the Sunday morning.

"Within two weeks, he was deteriorating before our eyes and the Monday before I left for Milan, I thought I was saying goodbye to him for the last time.

"He was very much a torch in my mind during my time on the bike; that was a very tangible thing for us to focus on!"

Listen to the full interview:

Cancer Research UK is working towards a world where everybody can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. The charity’s discoveries and breakthroughs have saved countless lives, from the research that led to the development of the HPV vaccine to playing a role in around half of the world’s essential cancer drugs.   

To fundraise for life-saving research, visit cruk.org or call 0300 123 1022.

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