130-mile bike ride to raise money for NHS Charities Together
Starting at The Royal London Hospital, two men will be cycling over 130 miles to Bournemouth to raise money for NHS Charities Together.
The men, Giancarlo Gambardella, 39, and Darran ‘Dowzie’ Howard, 49, will set off on their journey from The Royal London Hospital at around 6am on Friday 24 July, and prepare themselves to cycle 130 miles to the finish line at Poole Hospital in Bournemouth.
The idea arose after Giancarlo’s 6-week-old son, Gianluca, became unwell with a bacterial infection and had to be treated by staff at Poole Hospital just after the coronavirus outbreak. Seeing how dedicated the staff were and being extremely impressed by their level of care, Giancarlo wanted to give something back to the NHS and decided on the grueling cycle journey to raise money.
Giancarlo said “NHS staff and volunteers around the country are doing amazing work right now. Not only did they care for my son, but they’re also working tirelessly in caring for COVID-19 patients. I was thinking about ways I could give back to show my appreciation, and decided on the bike ride to raise some money for NHS Charities Together”.
Really wanting to make their cause known, Giancarlo started looking at designing their own ‘Thank You NHS’ cycle jerseys to wear whilst training and on the journey itself. He sent his ideas over to the team at Gear Club who went above and beyond his initial idea with the design. What’s more, hearing about the pair’s attempt to raise money for the NHS, a real estate agency, Durden & Hunt International sponsored the jerseys.
“We have been absolutely blown away by the support we’ve received, it’s gone above and beyond our expectations! I’d also like to mention the staff at Primera Sports who have helped me out tremendously.
Initially I was planning on cycling the journey on a mountain bike, but after speaking with many cyclists I was advised that I should use a road bike instead. As I didn’t own one, I brought a lovely second-hand Bianchi road bike off eBay from a seller I didn’t know. After I got it home I realized there were so many problems with it, problems which weren’t specified before I brought it. The seller has since blocked me and I was unable to get my money back. I took it to get fixed at Primera Sports, and after finding all of the problems they said it was going to cost around £400. I told them what the bike was going to be used for, and I was absolutely speechless when they said they’d pay for it. I am so so appreciative of their kind gesture”.
The pair are hoping to complete the journey in approximately 12 hours and have chosen to start at The Royal London Hospital as it’s the hospital Giancarlo was born in. His mother also lived around the corner in Jamaica Street, Stepney, and Giancarlo himself grew up nearby in The Isle of Dogs.
They’ve also brought special helmets so they can attach GoPro cameras for people to follow their journey.
With a target of £10,000, so far they’ve managed to raise over £2000, with all proceeds going NHS Charities Together. For more information, visit their JustGiving page.
Good luck both!
