Physiotherapist’s London cycle ride raises £4,500 for St Catherine’s

Fulham FC’s physiotherapist Wayne Gill helped prepare for his  Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 mile cycle for St Catherine’s by insisting footballers get on their bikes to train with him!

Setting off at 6:06am, Wayne began his ride at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, before pedalling past other famous London landmarks such as Hampton Court Bridge and Buckingham Palace. The route then took him out into the Surrey countryside before returning to the capital to cross the finish line at The Mall.

All of the hours in training certainly paid off for Wayne, with the keen cyclist completing the event in an impressive four hours and 40 minutes, placing him in the top 1000 out of 26,000 people.

The completion of the event may also bring some relief to Wayne’s colleagues who were forced to cycle in the gym with him whilst he was in training!

He said: “I put in some extra hours cycling on top of my daily cycle to and from work. I’m a physiotherapist at Fulham FC so I have good access to the gym, so I would spend additional time on the bikes there.

“The injured players at the club started avoiding me as they didn’t take kindly to the additional bike sessions I insisted we all did together!

“I would also spend time cycling around Richmond Park. It’s a good park to cycle around with lots of wild deer and amazing views over London. I love cycling so training was relatively easy.”

Wayne raised a whopping £4,500 in total for St Catherine’s – a cause close to his heart because his father was cared for at the hospice for two weeks before his death last year.

“We will be eternally grateful to the hospice for the support, empathy, and love they provided to my dad and our family during his final days with us,” said Wayne, who added that the memory of his dad had spurred him on in the final stretch of the 100 mile race.

“I wanted to do my dad proud as I know he was watching me from above – in fact I think he was pushing me up those Surrey hills as I seemed to be overtaking a lot of other cyclists.

“Seeing my mum and girlfriend as I was heading towards the finish line was the final boost I needed – racing down The Mall and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace was an amazing sight and feeling.

“I was very proud and pleased with my achievements, time, and more importantly the money I had managed to raise for St Catherine’s Hospice.

“It was an amazing day, full of great memories and my dad was never far from my thoughts. I’d like to say a big thank you to St Catherine’s for making it possible for me to cycle in this charity event, it was a day to remember.”

Would you like to take on the RideLondon-Surrey 100 challenge? We have three places for the 2016 race – details still to be confirmed. To register an initial interest, email emma.jacovelli@stcatherines.uat-web.co.uk or call her on 01772 629171.

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