Cycle 300: Together We Can Beat Cancer

As August turns to September, Ben Baldwin, Xentum Ambassador, will be getting into gear to take on the Cycle 300 challenge with Cancer Research UK. Here, Ben explains why he wanted to get involved and how you can do your bit.

1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. This is a shocking statistic.

Cancer has unfortunately played its role in my family. My father died of pancreatic cancer some time ago and, on Sunday 11th July 2021, my stepfather, Jonty, died from lung cancer.

In memory of two fine men, I decided I would like to contribute towards a charity that will hopefully find cures for all kinds of cancer, so people don’t have to suffer the way they both did. To do my bit in battling this terrible disease, I took up the Cycle 300 challenge.

The plan is for me to cycle 300 miles in September. This is roughly the distance from London to Paris. I intend to deal with the 300 miles at a fairly steady rate, as I have recently recovered from having a stroke, less than 12 months ago. However, to ensure I meet my goal, I intend on completing the 300 miles as soon as I can during the month of September.

The challenge is hosted as a collaboration between Cancer Research UK and Strava, using the cycling app to document your activity.

Since hundreds of charity events were cancelled last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I think it’s more important than ever that we all get involved where we can to help save lives. I’m excited about the opportunity to take on a physical challenge and see what money I can raise.

Cancer Research UK supports 50% of all cancer research here in the UK. Though they may have been slowed down by COVID-19, they are determined to reach their goal of 3 in 4 people surviving cancer by 2034. By supporting Cycle 300, whether that’s donating to support someone like Ben or taking on the challenge yourself, we can all help fight cancer together.

Sign-up or find out more here. Or, if you’d like to support Ben hit his goal of raising £1,500, please do visit his JustGiving page.