This August 24th, I’ll be taking on the ride of a lifetime. 950 miles, 123,000 feet of ascent, 80 hours on the bike.
A 10-day cycling challenge along the entire length of the Pyrenees, climbing 100 mountain passes (the infamous “Cent Cols”) across France and Spain. Each day entails 95 miles on the road, 12,000 feet of climb, and around 8 hours of effort. It’s big. It’s brutal. And it’s deeply personal.
I’m raising £5,000 for THINK AORTA, a life-saving campaign that has come to mean a great deal to me — and perhaps, one day, to someone you may know.
In October 2021, I suffered a massive, and totally unexpected, Aortic Dissection.
It happened during what should have been a routine cardiac ablation. Something went very badly wrong. The inner lining of my aorta tore along most of its length, with additional cardiac damage. It was a terrifying, life-threatening event that often proves fatal.
LUCKY
I was one of the lucky ones — thanks to the brilliant vascular team at St George’s Hospital in London, who diagnosed the dissection and saved my life with emergency surgery and a large TEVAR stent.
It took three days for me to be diagnosed.
And that’s part of the problem.
Aortic Dissection (AD) is frequently missed or misdiagnosed — even though, in the UK, it kills more people each year than road traffic accidents. When it strikes, it does so suddenly, often with no warning. Surviving the initial event is only the beginning. What follows is a complete overhaul of life as you knew it. There is never a full recovery — just adapting to a new normal, which can be physically and emotionally overwhelming.
FOUR YEARS …
For me, it’s taken nearly four years of very hard work and huge support from my incredible family to return to something resembling stability. This has involved extensive cardiovascular rehab, fitness training, weight loss, and constantly monitoring heart rate and blood pressure – like my life depends on it — because it does! I now ride an e-bike, which allows me to stay safe, adapt, not quit, and to continue to push my (much reduced) limits. For me, the St. George’s team, did indeed manage to “Put Me Back On, My Bike” (in Tom Simpson parlance).
WHY?
So why am I doing this?
These types of challenges help us move forward from severe trauma. When people ask why, I get to tell them about THINK AORTA — a campaign focused on improving awareness, diagnosis, and emergency care for Aortic Dissection. Their work saves lives. Alongside them, Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland supports survivors and families through the long, complicated journey that follows.
I’m funding all my own costs for the trip — every penny you donate goes directly to the charity.
THANK YOU –
Thank you for reading, for supporting, and for helping raise awareness of a condition that too often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. Your support means the world — to me, to this cause, and to those still fighting their way back.
JUST GIVING LINK: https://www.justgiving.com/page/think-aorta-cent-cols
Howard, Surrey, UK, August 2025.
Challenges on a Bike 