Cycling for the Pace Centre

Guy Stapleford cycled 140km every day in the month of March, alongside his full-time job. Guy, who works for a local Housing Association, covered 4,200km over the course of the month to raise awareness and money for the Pace Centre in Aylesbury.

It’s a simple challenge that Guy hopes will celebrate the 140 children born every month with cerebal palsy in the UK. The rules are simple in that he must ride the full 140km every day, nothing can be rolled over, either on the road or on the turbo trainer.

Finding the time to cycle is often the biggest part of the challenge, “I’m trying to keep to a routine, getting up a 4am to start riding at 4.30am and riding 60-80km before work.” Whatever distance is left over, he has to complete after he finishes work in the evening. With the COVID restrictions and early starts this means Guy finds himself riding almost all of the distance on his own.

Guy is no stranger to suffering on the bike, he is using this challenge as part of his training for the world’s toughest bicycle race – the 3,000 mile Race Across America, for which he has qualified to race as a soloist next June. No British rider has ever won the race and only a small handful of Brits have ever entered, let alone finished. “This challenge is great preparation, both physically and mentally, as it highlights the importance of being consistent, disciplined and learning to ride through the discomfort. I’m not the best cyclist in the world, I’m not suggesting I can win RAAM, but I’m getting pretty good at suffering well.”

Guy has always wanted his suffering to mean something, to make a difference and that’s why he is supporting a Charity within his community.

Pace is a school in Aylesbury, Bucks, dedicated to transforming the lives of children up to the age of 18 with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy. The charity is founded on the belief that every child has the ability to learn and make progress, whatever physical or sensory challenges they face.

“Every day these kids find the strength to do things that we find so easy and take for granted, like simply getting out of the house in the morning. For them that can be a huge challenge.” 1,700 children are born with cerebral palsy every year in the UK; that’s 140 children every month. “I wanted to do something that celebrated these children, their parents & carers and the amazing support that Pace provide, so I decided to ride 140km every day to represent those 140 children.”

Guy aims to raise a minimum of £1,400 for Pace through this challenge. If you'd like to find out more about the challenge and donate, visit his site at www.milesforwishes. com/pace140/