Over the past month, Matthew has been putting in some serious miles on his mountain bike, 300 of them to be exact. What started as a personal fitness goal quickly turned into something bigger, as Matthew decided to raise money for Cancer Research UK along the way.
With the charity close to home and cycling becoming a new passion (obsession), it was the perfect combination of doing something he loves while giving back. And just to keep things interesting, he added a twist. If he hit his fundraising goal a family member would get to pick what fancy dress he wore on his final ride.
Spoiler alert, to see Matthew all dressed up and to follow along with his progress across the month, head to the bottom of this post to scroll through all his picture updates!
Matthew’s love for cycling
Matthew didn’t just take on the challenge, he seriously committed. With 300 miles to cover across July, he was on his bike almost every day, whether it was commuting to work, weekend rides, or squeezing in extra miles just to stay on track. If you spotted him flying through the streets of Sunderland, you’d know he meant business.
He was, to put it plainly, a little bit obsessed.
Even after a fall at the start of the month that left him with a badly scraped knee, he took a whopping one day off before he was straight back to it and back in the saddle, racking up the miles on Strava.
Matthew didn’t just clock up the miles he also raised some serious funds while doing it. By his final ride Matthew had over doubled his original goal of £300 for Cancer Research UK.
As an extra incentive, Matthew promised that if he hit his initial fundraising goal, he’d complete the final ride in full fancy dress which ended up being Princess Peach. The final costume was nothing short of spectacular, not only was Matthew kitted in a bright pink princess dress, he had the accessories to accompany the look too!
Wig, gloves, crown and all!
The final ride was nothing short of iconic. Matthew pedalled on his route in full Nintendo glory, turning heads and raising even more money along the way.
Why Cancer Research UK?
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research, influence and information. Their work has been instrumental in developing better treatments, improving survival rates, and preventing cancer through groundbreaking science.
Thanks to the support of fundraisers like Matthew, Cancer Research UK can continue to fund over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses working across the UK.
Their mission is simple but powerful: to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. Whether it’s improving how we treat cancer, understanding how it starts and spreads, or campaigning for better awareness and early diagnosis, the work they do is nothing short of vital.
Every fundraiser, no matter the size all adds up to something much bigger.
The Final Ride
On a sunny North East Sunday, Matthew set off on his final ride dressed head to toe as Princess Peach. The route started at Penshaw Monument, continued through Sunderland city centre, and finished along the coast at Marsden Beach.
Family members followed along the route, cheering him on, and friends joined in at different points to offer motivation (and take a few photos of the outfit, naturally).
He was even accompanied by Bowzer on his final ride and joined by a mini Mario for his last few miles!
This final ride really was a brilliant way to close out a challenge built on energy, resilience, and a lot of personality.
Here’s a few words from Matthew himself, about the whole experience
“This was certainly a bigger challenge than I first thought, but a great way to push forward my exercise from just commuting and the odd weekend ride.
More than anything, finding the time to fit in an average of 10 miles every day was the biggest challenge, especially when you factor in work, schools finishing for the summer, and everything else from a family household!
My favourite part has been getting everyone else involved in cycling alongside, I have got the kids and my partner back into cycling, which means we’re finding that we are all spending less time next to the TV and more time enjoying the outdoors instead.
If you had told me this time last year that I would be taking part in the Sunderland Big Bike Challenge 20 mile, and doing 300 miles for charity in a month, I’d have said it was impossible. Instead, I’m now looking forward to next year, having already signed up for the 38 mile challenge in July and also looking at booking a coast to coast trip in the summer.”
Support the Cause
Matthew’s ride may be over, but you can still support his fundraising efforts and donate on his JustGiving page: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/matthews-giving-page-190350
Want to learn more about how your support helps fuel important life saving research? Visit Cancer Research UK’s site for the full story on their work: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/our-research/
Whether you choose to cycle, run, bake cakes or volunteer your time, every bit of effort makes a difference. Every small action can build up to make big changes.
From his first mile to his final pedal in a Princess Peach dress, Matthew’s energy, determination, and sense of fun made this challenge something truly special. He threw himself into every part of it from warm up rides and tracking progress to diet plans and double scooping creatine he did it all with the same positive spirit he brings to work every day.
We’re incredibly proud to have Matthew on the team. He’s shown what can happen when passion meets purpose, and we seriously couldn’t be more impressed.
Well done Matthew!
Here’s some photos from the whole month, showing off Matthew’s great work from start to finish.
