With the number of cyclists in Britain sharply increasing, enthusiasts in the North East are signing up in their hundreds to take part in the second Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines on 6 October.
Durham Cricket Board Coach James Wiggan has signed up for the 2013 Etape Pennines to complete the challenge of the “beautiful but brutal” 78 mile sportive, which will see him fundraise for Marie Curie in the process.
He is one of millions of people who watched Bradley Wiggins in last year’s Tour de France and definitely was inspired by his commitment and effort.
On signing up for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines, James Wiggan, said, “I’ve always enjoyed cycling but the success of the Brits in last year’s Tour de France and Olympics really made me want to try something more challenging that my usual cycle route.
“As a coach it’s important to me that I lead by example and try to encourage the next generation to keep fit and active too.
“It’s always a little bit daunting signing up for something new, especially when you’re going to have to train for it but when I saw that you could sign up for a fundraising place to cycle for Marie Curie Cancer Care, it was a real incentive.
“It’s a fantastic charity, whose work really makes an impact in the lives of so many people.
“I’ve heard great things about the event and I really can’t wait for October to give it my best shot. It’s brilliant that we have events like this in the North East giving us the chance to participate in world class events on our doorstep.”
To support James’ fundraising efforts visit http://www.justgiving.com/James-Wiggan
Entries are still open for this event. A number of free places are available to those who commit to fundraising £250 for Marie Curie, or you can general entries are £63. For more details please visit www.etapepennines.co.uk
Marie Curie Cancer Care, the event’s charity partner, encourages all participants to raise funds for the charity. Marie Curie provides free hands-on nursing care to people with a terminal illness in their own homes or at one of the charity’s nine hospices. Marie Curie Nurses cared for over 7,100 terminally ill people across the North of England last year and provided over 273,000 hours of free nursing care.
With strong links to charity partners, the Etape Series has also been instrumental in encouraging participants to raise well in excess of £1.5million over its seven year history for its title charity partners.