Stock race for Chase

Richard Stock of the NHBC is taking part in a sponsored bike ride from Lands End to John O’ Groats, in aid of Chase Children’s Hospice. The ride will commence on 29 June and will be completed over five days. Richard will be joined by eight fellow riders on his journey. Richard and his team are hoping to raise £100 000 in sponsorship.

If you would like to sponsor Richard, visit www.justgiving.com/theraceforchase, or send a cheque payable to ‘Chase’, to Richard Stock, Buildmark House, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 5AP.

Richard has written a preview of the bike ride and an insight of what is involved in terms of preparation and commitment:

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Lands End to John O' Groats by bike in 5 days: statistically improbable?

For most student actuaries, the long and arduous road to qualification is an emotional roller-coaster – with highs and lows of passing or failing and long, winter nights of despair staring into an abyss of actuarial monotony, requiring immense amounts of mental stamina. So more than ten years after qualifying, why would I ever consider what seems like an equivalent physical challenge? Well … all I can say is when your best friend’s son dies of a rare genetic disorder before making it to the age of three it changes your perspective on things.

The Challenge
As part of a team of eight intrepid cyclists, I will depart Land’s End on 29th June, aiming to cover the 900-mile journey to John O’ Groats in just five days. If we average 15 miles an hour we’ll be in the saddle about 12 hours a day, for five consecutive days! Ouch!

Why? We’re all raising money for CHASE hospice care for children because of the support they gave to close friends Jules and Iain Russell whose little boy Fraser died last year.

The Team
Besides myself, the team includes Fraser’s dad Iain and six other good friends, some of whom have little cycling experience (four of whom didn’t even own a bike on which to start their training!)

The Route
Day 1 – the longest day – takes us about 200 miles from Land’s End to Bristol. Day 2 takes us to Warrington, day 3 – Moffat (Southern Scotland), day 4 – Kingussie (30 miles south of Inverness), day 5 at John O’Groats (I hope!).

Training
With work pressures and a two-year old son of my own, time is at a premium. I’ve always managed a few runs during lunch breaks, but that won’t be enough to get me through this ride. I’ve started cycling to work and doing a few spin sessions (static bike at the gym and at home), and I’ve even taken my bike out for a spin three times! The longest of these rides was about 140 miles - to Gatwick and back to buy a new bike!

CHASE www.chasecare.org.uk
CHASE hospice care for children supports families with life-limited children – children and teenagers not expected to reach their 19th birthday. CHASE’s Community Team are out and about every day of the year supporting families in their own homes and communities. CHASE also has its own children's hospice – Christopher's - a fantastic facility where families can spend some quality time together. CHASE supports families throughout the illness of their child, and beyond. Without CHASE many families would find it difficult to cope.

Raising Money
We have already raised about £10,000 with support from local businesses. However, we are keen to get bigger names involved. NHBC (for whom I work) have offered to contribute significantly and help cover some of the expenses relating to kit and support vans. However, more is needed to help us reach our target of £100,000.

Stats
Of course, no article for The Actuary would ever be complete without a few stats. Taking the event as a whole, I have estimated the following:
>> The team will have collectively cycled over 7,000 miles in the five days
>> We will have consumed about 500 litres of liquid
>> We will have burned about 400,000 calories
>> We will have completed the ride about 70 hours outside the world record!
>> And of course, we hope to have raised well over £100,000 in the process

… so, if you would like to sponsor us, get more information or track our progress, please log on to our website www.raceforchase.co.uk.

Richard Stock, company actuary, NHBC