Former national road race champion invites you to get On Yer Bike for Brain Tumour Research

The 1978 national road race champion, Phil Corley, is hoping you’ll follow his lead and get On Yer Bike for Brain Tumour Research. Whether you’re out on the roads training for a big event or dutifully hitting the turbo trainer while pining for spring, why not challenge some friends, log your miles and raise money for a good cause?

Phil, who now runs one of the UK’s leading independent cycle retailers, lost his brother to a brain tumour in 1990. Richard Corley was just 44 when he died, leaving a wife and two small children.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to the disease.

The Brain Tumour Research charity funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK and campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to increase investment in brain tumour research to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m to improve survival rates and patient outcomes and bring them into line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

On Yer Bike has been running since 2012 when it was launched as a local event by brain tumour patient Paul Halfpenny from Derbyshire. Sadly, Paul passed away in 2014 but the event has continued and now takes place nationwide.

If you’re taking part, you’ll select a sponsorship target, set up a fundraising page and then track your performance to see how many miles you can cover from February 1 to 23. (You can sync your data from Strava, MapMyRide or Fitbit.)

You can either register solo or as part of a team. The latter features the all-important team leaderboard which will allow you to see who’s raised the most.

Corley said: “As a generally competitive breed, I think cyclists are going to really appreciate the new element of the campaign as they will be able to see how their performance compares with others taking part.

“Many cyclists may well be putting in lots of mileage during February as they prepare for upcoming events and I would ask them to register and take part in On Yer Bike. It’s a great way of raising money for such an important cause and perhaps it will give them some increased motivation as well.

“Sadly, brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. They are all too prevalent and many people, like my own family, have been affected this cruel disease.”

To sign up for the On Yer Bike challenge, click here.