Less than a year after suffering serious injuries in a cycling collision, an Oldham primary school teacher is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats in just ten days.
Steven Green, 50, was involved in the collision in October last year which left him in the trauma ward in Oldham Hospital.
“My helmet saved my life that day,” he said. “It was smashed into three pieces. I don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t have it on.
“Around February, I started to cycle again once my body had recovered. I am still wary at junctions and am a bit more nervous if there is a car coming from my left-hand side.”
After recovering, he decided to take on the gruelling journey, due to start on 1 August, to show his students that he has overcome his injuries. He wants to encourage them to take on challenges outside their comfort zone.
Green aims to complete the journey by cycling around 100 miles each day, while camping every night.
“I will be alone throughout the whole challenge though there are safety measures in place,” he said. “My cycle computer will send a text message to my wife if I fall off my bike, so she will know where to send help. I’ve taken every precaution I can take.”
He will be raising money for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD).
As part of his training for the upcoming campaign he cycles every day to and from work. Most people complete the cycle journey in 40 days or more, but Green aims to complete it in only ten days.
“My training consists of cycling 17 miles each day. I also cycle on Saturdays and rest on Sundays.”
The most he has cycled is 70 miles in one go. He has also cycled from Manchester to Blackpool which is about 60 miles.
He has started a YouTube channel and an Instagram account to keep everyone updated.
He will keep a diary to be updated at the end of each day during the challenge. He aims to raise £1,000.
Neil Roper from CAFOD said: "We support anybody from any religion or no religion at all. Steven will be cycling 100 miles for ten days. Doing that is remarkable. It is an incredible challenge as it's equivalent to running ten marathons.
"Steven’s support of CAFOD means so many things. His enthusiasm and the way he talks about us on social media is amazing. He is helping to promote CAFOD by talking to the media and to schools. He is also raising money as well to help communities around the world."
To donate to the cause go to:
www.justgiving.com/page/mr-green-cycles
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