Thank you so much for visiting my page, supporting this fundraising event, and for supporting the work of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Please take a moment to read and follow the links for more info.
From 21st to 24th August 2024 I will attempt to cycle 386 kilometers and climb 10,413 vertical metres. That's higher than Mount Everest!
Why am I taking part in Le Cure 2024?
In 2019 I had the fortune of meeting an incredibly inspiring group of people called Curistas. A mixed age, mixed ability bunch who would spend 4 days each year cycling ridiculous routes through the French Alps, tackling Cols of the Tour de France, to raise funds for cancer research fellowships at The Royal Marsden.
Among the riders were professors who headed the Le Cure research programme, friends and family members of people who had been treated for breast cancer, and people who themselves had recently undergone treatment for breast cancer. There were talks from the professors about the research and the work of the Le Cure fellowships, namely the "liquid biopsy", and it's worldwide influence and success. It quickly became apparent that this was more than a charity bike ride - it WAS the charity.
Le Cure is entirely volunteer run which means that EVERY PENNY donated goes directly to fund cancer research. There are no admin fees.
Le Cure is a very special event and seeing the determination and dedication of everyone involved (especially against all odds in 2020 covid times!) made me want to be a part of it. I didn't even own a bike before working with the Curistas.
In 2023 a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily it was caught quickly and treatment began immediately. Of course this was a very difficult time but listening to her talk about the blood tests she was having to monitor and detect DNA mutations was incredibly interesting and reassuring because it is exactly this principle, the "liquid biopsy", that has been researched and pioneered by Le Cure.
This was the real incentive to take part in 2024.
Links:
About the liquid biopsy
https://www.royalmarsden.org/difference-you-make/returning-breast-cancer-new-blood-test
About Le Cure and where it all began
https://www.royalmarsden.org/difference-you-make/le-cure-de-france
About the Royal Marsden and it's influence
