Two wheels are better for Simon Marsh on marathon fund-raiser

Simon Marsh still has "no idea" quite why he decided to embark upon a cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats but his charitable endeavour has been more than worthwhile.

The bloodstock agent and manager for Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber’s breeding operation and a handful of old friends arrived at Britain’s northernmost tip on Friday after what was for the most part a fund-raising mission for Priors Court School for autistic children, Action for Stammering Children and the Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, with a touch of self-confessed mid-life crisis thrown in.

Although not a keen cyclist in earlier years, Marsh has become a more frequent sight in the saddle on the roads around Berkshire while building up for his mission.

"Five of us did it, and for some reason we decided on the challenge," he said. "It was 1,100 miles in 13 days and between us, I think we’ve raised nearly £100,000 for charity, which is fantastic.

"We had some amusing moments but thankfully there were no accidents or punctures. We did have a couple of very, very taxing days with the weather, with gale-force winds one day, and driving, horizontal rain.

"But you do really see the country and appreciate how beautiful it is, far more than when you’re in the car."

Although not ruling out a return to the lycra just yet, Marsh has other things on his plate, with the likes of the Lloyd-Webbers’ star horse Too Darn Hot lining up in Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes.

"I started training at the start of the year but thankfully my bike is currently making its way back down from Scotland and it’s Royal Ascot week, so I won’t be doing any more just yet," he said.

You can visit Nick and Simon's LEJOG cycle challenge donation page here

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