A Birmingham real estate specialist is gearing up to take part in a 100-mile cycling challenge to support the fight against cancer and raise vital funds for charity.
Centrick’s homes and investments director Andy Butts has begun the countdown to Ride London 2024, which takes place on Sunday 26 May, and has been clocking up hundreds of miles on a series of training rides.
The popular challenge will see thousands of cyclists taking to the roads. Andy is riding to raise funds for Get Up Give Back, which supports five cancer charities, each providing a beacon of hope and support for those battling the disease.
This year, Get Up Give Back, the charity arm of Property Entrepreneur and Property Pulse Network UK, will be focusing on Cardio vs Cancer, an initiative created to mark its fifth year as a charity and marked by five mental and physical challenges in just five weeks.
"I'm deeply honoured to be part of Ride London 2024 and to ride in support of Get Up Give Back," Butt said. "Cancer has impacted the lives of so many, and participating in this event is my way of giving back and making a difference.
"Together, we can pedal towards a future where cancer is no longer a threat and those suffering with cancer have the support and resources they need to fight it."
The mammoth riding challenge will set off from Victoria Embankment in the heart of the city, before heading through the boroughs of Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Redbridge.
Cyclists will then ride towards Essex, through Epping Forest, Braintree, Chelmsford and Brentwood, before coming back into the city for the final stretch, finishing at the iconic Tower Bridge.
Butts told CoStar News that he had been preparing for the event by going for long rides every weekend, adding 10 miles each time until reaching his practice target of 70 miles to 75 miles, the ideal amount of miles to get into the legs before the main event.
He says, like the day job, training for Ride London requires resilience. "Within our world of property, if you don't have resilience these days, then you may as well not be in it.
"In my world I'm also very target- and sales-driven, so there is an element of goal-setting and goal-achieving in that. It has helped me to put a training plan together and commit to riding X amount of miles in the week and so many on the weekend."
For more information on how to support Andy and Get Up Give Back, please follow this link.