Epic cycling challenge raises £7k

A cyclist has completed an epic challenge pedalling constantly for more than 27 hours to raise £7,000 for Diabetes UK.

John Grumitt, from Chiswick, took part in the Styrkeproven, which is a 339 mile (545km) journey from Trondheim to Oslo in Norway. On his Just Giving site, John explained the distance was the equivalent of the London to Brighton bike ride, there and back, three times, continuously.

Calling it a “ridiculous challenge”, the 49-year-old urged his supporters to help him raise more money for a bursary he set up several years ago which enables less fortunate children to attend the Diabetes UK Kids Camps. They help them understand and manage their condition better.

John, who discovered he had type 1 diabetes 24 years ago and has been hypo unawaren for eight, only stopped to top up his water bottle and grab food throughout the gruelling trip.

John successfully continued to manage his blood glucose throughout the vast trial with the support of Ian Gallen, a consultant diabetologist at Reading who also helps at Run Sweet, an organisation which help active people manage their diabetes, and dietician Carin Hume.

John said: “With their help my blood glucose was steady throughout and had no impact.”

Having completed the challenge, it re-enforced my view that most of the boundaries we face are actually self-created

Despite the huge magnitude of the challenge and the demanding physicality of the feat, John insists he was only in “reasonable shape” after training throughout the winter.

John said: “At the start I was quite apprehensive, not quite sure how difficult it was going to be to cope with the continuous exercise and the sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, I never doubted whether I would finish. Ignorant bliss, one could say.”

“Having completed the challenge, it re-enforced my view that most of the boundaries we face are actually self-created. With a clear goal, support of a few experts in the right places and the commitment to adequately prepare, pretty much anything is possible. After all, I am no extreme athlete, just an ordinary bloke who likes to test the apparent limits,” he added.

If you would like to support John, visit his Just Giving site: https://www.justgiving.com/John-Grumitt1/.