There’ll be no rest for Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas MBE when he returns home to Wales from the Tour de France. A gruelling 170 mile charity cycle ride awaits him on Saturday 30 July to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, and The Stroke Association.
Geraint, 25, plans to complete the mammoth charity cycle in one day, setting off from Cardiff early in the morning, heading north via Corwen and finishing at the cricket club in Denbigh. He’ll swap his mountain bike for a tandem and his girlfriend Sara Thomas will pedal with him from the back saddle. The ride is a tribute to Sara’s granddad (taid), William Glyn Thomas, who died earlier this year.
Geraint, who lives in Cardiff, explained his motivation for taking on this challenge and supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK and The Stroke Association:
“Sara’s taid was a long serving member and chairman of Denbigh Cricket Club and loved the game, so it will be great to finish the ride in a place that meant a lot to him. Sara’s taid suffered a series of mini strokes which then lead to dementia. This is our way of raising much needed money for the pioneering research being carried out by Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Stroke Association.â€
Sara, 21, from Bonvilston in the Vale of Glamorgan, added:
“My taid was a true gentleman and was loved enormously. It’s hard to express how cruel these illnesses are and the impact they have on the whole family. Taking on this cycling challenge is our way of helping to raise awareness and raise urgently needed money to find new preventions and treatments, and also a way of remembering and paying tribute to my lovely taid.
“Lots of our family and friends will be cycling with us. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome, even for just part of the journey – as long as they’re prepared to make a donation to Alzheimer’s Research UK or the Stroke Association. We want to do everything we can to help these charities progress with their vital research.â€
Miranda Mays, Community Fundraising Manager for Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“We’re thrilled that Geraint and Sara are taking on this exiting but strenuous bike ride to help defeat dementia. Every £20 they raise for us will pay for an hour of vital research, bringing us closer to finding ways to diagnose, prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
“Over 36,000 people in Wales are living with dementia today but funding lags far behind that of other serious diseases. We rely entirely on our wonderful supporters like Geraint and Sara to fund our world-class research.â€
To help Geraint and Sara raise funds for pioneering research donate online. To take part in the cycle challenge contact Gayle Howells by email at gayle@seren-pr.co.uk.
For further information, photos or to speak with Geraint Thomas, Sara Thomas or Miranda Mays, please contact Sue Armstrong, Media Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK on 01223 843304, 07500 119514 or email s.armstrong@alzheimersresearchuk.org
Image courtesy of Media Wales Ltd.