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An Aberdeen man identified with leukaemia has joined a workforce of beginner cyclists to experience the well-known Tour de France route – after being impressed by an act of kindness.
Neil Jackson, an avid bicycle owner, has develop into a member of the 25-man Tour21 workforce who will experience the three,500km route in simply 21 days – to lift over £1,000,000 for Remedy Leukaemia.
Neil, who works for Harbour Power, was identified with Persistent Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) final January however says its enterprise as regular for the second.
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He advised Aberdeen Reside: “Frankly, it appears to be fairly secure, however what they’ve advised me is that they do not know how lengthy I’ve had it and that it might be in one other, 5, ten or fifteen years time I will want some type of therapy, however it’s life as regular as it may be for me simply now.”
He provides that while it was extremely terrifying it was a aid to lastly know what was occurring and remembers vividly his first go to to ARI, the place he met members of the native Associates of Anchor charity.
He mentioned: “I hadn’t been in ARI for a variety of years and strolling into the reception of the Anchor unit, I noticed that the Associates of Anchor charity was handing out Christmas presents and so they requested me if I used to be there for therapy, and I mentioned I did not know what I used to be there for and so they gave me this current – slightly thermos mug.”
“It actually had a profound affect on me, that type of generosity of me being simply seconds contained in the constructing and nonetheless being given one thing.”
That act impressed Neil, who, from June 22 to July 14, will sort out all 21 phases of the Tour de France – together with the Grand Depart in Florence to the Excessive Mountains of The Alps and Pyrenees earlier than ending on the Cote d’Azur in Good.
Every bicycle owner within the workforce, which incorporates riders from throughout the globe, has a person purpose of elevating £30,000, which Neil is hoping to attain via his JustGiving page.
Tour21 is the brainchild of ex-international footballer and Leukaemia survivor Geoff Thomas MBE, whom Neil spoke to as a part of the interview course of.
Neil mentioned: “I knew of the occasion however by no means would have thought I might think about doing it, however I obtained to a spot the place I used to be wanting into it and I believed concerning the affect that mug had had on me and believed I might give again as properly.”
“So I speculatively did the applying and stuffed in all the main points.”
Since then, it has been all go for Neil, who’s been following a rigorous coaching regime, which concerned flying throughout the to the US three weeks in the past to cycle and get used to the rigorous schedule of Tour 21 – subsequent, he’ll be becoming a member of members of the workforce on a coaching journey to Majorca.
“It is simply all constructing as much as getting within the miles and, yeah, preparing for it,” he mentioned.
Neil isn’t any stranger to endurance biking, usually taking annual cycle journeys with pals on rides that may generally see them journey over 200 miles. However he admits that a few of his friends had been shocked to listen to he was on the Tour21 workforce.
He mentioned: “They assume it is fairly ridiculous, however they’ve seen that I’m completely dedicated to this and I am one in all these guys who religiously sticks to a coaching plan and if I set myself a purpose, I will simply keep it up with it so everyone’s been actually supportive.”
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Neil is about to satisfy his fellow workforce members nearly for the primary time on November 23, and he says it is going to be good to listen to the totally different concepts they bring about to the desk.
And with over £16,000 already raised, Neil is greater than assured of assembly his £30,000 goal, with extra fundraising occasions deliberate, together with a digital cycle and race night time in April. He provides that the expertise had opened his eyes.
He mentioned: “It has been fairly humbling all of the assist from the group and what I’ve discovered superb is that the extra you look into most cancers, the extra you realise the quantity of individuals affected by it – I used to be kind of in slightly bubble the place no households members had actually been affected by it, however as quickly as we had been thrown into it final 12 months we have realised that it is a large massive household on the market and with the ability to join with folks it fairly heartwarming.”
Neil provides that lots of his pals and his spouse have already booked their tickets to Good subsequent 12 months to see him cross that fabled end line.
You possibly can assist Neil’s marketing campaign via his JustGiving web page here.
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