Jim Leaviss's fundraising page

[p][b]One year, one hundred climbs.[/b][/p] [p]I did it! On 12[sup]th[/sup] November I rode up the 100[sup]th[/sup] and final hill of my challenge, Cheddar Gorge in Somerset.[/p] [p]The UK asset management industry has now raised nearly £2 million over the course of this year through CASCAID.  All this money will be going directly to Cancer Research UK.  The target was £1 million, so a huge thanks to all those who have donated to the huge variety of different events and challenges that have taken part so far in 2017.  We’re still a few quid short of £2 million though, so if you haven’t got round to sponsoring me yet, there’s still time to donate…[/p] [p][b]The challenge.[/b][/p] [p]I set myself the target of riding up 100 hills, mountains, or kops over the course of the year, roughly two per week.  Most of the hills came from Simon Warren’s excellent series of guide books, starting with “100 Greatest Cycling Climbs”.  I also allowed myself to cycle up steep things that aren’t covered in any of his guides if they meet the criteria of being very steep and horrible; this let me ride climbs like Sa Colabra in Mallorca, and Tabayesco in Lanzarote too.[/p] [p]I rode my first hill of the year on New Year’s Day – Swain’s Lane in Highgate, London.  It was raining, setting the pattern for virtually all of my UK climbing days (it was generally nice in Kent, but that was a rare treat for me).  I moved on to the Chilterns, then a work trip to Hong Kong gave me a chance to ride up The Peak.  Next were the Surrey Alps, some lumps and bumps in Oxfordshire, before heading out east to the short, sharp ascents of the Downs in Kent.  My favourite day on the bike of the year was in Flanders, Belgium where I ticked off a number of cobbled climbs like the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont (I also got to see Paris-Roubaix live the next day).  Then up to the Midlands before a trip to Mallorca with my oldest friends.  I did not achieve a PB on Sa Calobra.  Boo. [/p] [p]West Sussex, Hampshire and “un jour sans” on the Isle of Wight where I bonked into headwinds, got lost, and made the ferry home only by throwing myself under a closing barrier.  The Lake District threw up the hardest hill of my year – Honister Pass, which directly after Newlands Hause, had me seeing stars by the top.  The hardest hill was followed by the funniest – a client meeting in Bristol gave me a chance to ride up Vale Street, the steepest residential road in the UK.  On a hire bike and in suit and leather soled shoes which kept slipping off the pedals, it took me many attempts to get to the top.[/p] [p]Rides in Gloucestershire were followed by a day in the Manchester Peaks.  None of us managed to even get 5 metres up The Corkscrew on another rainy day, but we did tick off five great hills that day, including the Cat & Fiddle. Kent again with a chain-gang that was a stretch to hang on to, before more trips to the south coast, including the nasty Ditchling Beacon which will be familiar for anyone who’s ever done the London-Brighton bike ride.  A family holiday to Lanzarote let me ride up Tabayesco, the Ironman hill climb in the incredible volcanic landscape. [/p] [p]And finally this last weekend I did a couple of Bath hills, and ended up riding up Cheddar Gorge.  Not the steepest of the year’s efforts, but long, beautiful, and for somebody with Geography A Level, somehow very familiar.  You can see all of my climbs on Strava (follow Jim Leaviss).  Here's a video of the Cheddar Gorge ride.[/p][p]https://www.relive.cc/view/1272011482[/p] [p][b]Thank you.[/b][/p][p]Firstly thanks to all of you for the superb sponsorship support I’ve had over the year, and for encouragement from friends, family, and colleagues here at M&G.  Thanks to Helen and all at CASCAID for running a fantastic effort, and nearly doubling the amount we all raised for Cancer Research UK.  Finally thanks to Isobel and the kids for putting up with me disappearing off on the bike at weekends – it’s much appreciated.[/p] [p]See you on top of a hill.[/p] [p]Jim[/p]