Holidays are a great time for reflection; time to pause, take stock and evaluate matters before returning fresh, revitalised and full of enthusiasm again.

Having just returned from my summer break, my thoughts this year were not just about challenges at work, but also others I’d set myself, and in particular one I told you about here back in April (https://www.redmarlin.co.uk/4-wheels-good-2-wheels-better/).

With a spring in my step, I set myself the challenge of completing a trio of century cycle challenges – two 100km sportives and the final one, a 100 mile ride which would be the longest distance I’d ever ridden.

As well as serving as a great motivational tool to keep me focused and (hopefully) fit, I also set myself the target of raising £300 for the Alzheimer’s Society as my Gran, a keen cyclist herself in her youth, was among the 800,000 people in the UK suffering from dementia.

Sadly, since I started my challenge, my Gran lost her battle and passed away in May.

However, despite this obvious setback, the training continued. Spurred on by some fantastic support and contributions, I’ve accomplished my fundraising target, collecting over £400 to help fund further research.

For everyone that has contributed towards this, once again, I’d like to offer my sincere thanks – you’re support is greatly appreciated.

As for the rides themselves, my first, the AMR Warwickshire 100 was successfully completed in just over 4 hours. The second, the AMR Chiltern Challenge which had an unexpected route extension taking it to 122km, took a massive 5½ hours!

Now, there’s just the final hurdle to go. There’s now a little over three weeks to go until I set off on my final 100 mile challenge. Training is going fantastically and I feel well prepared. Since the challenge began back in April, I’ve clocked up more than 1,300 miles on 60 training rides that have taken 85 hours to complete (ahh, the beauty of Strava!)

So, with my bike calling for another hill session, once again I’d like to thank all of those who have supported me during my challenge, whether it be financially, mentally or physically. And for anyone who would like to help boost the fundraising coffers even further, you can still donate online by visiting www.justgiving.com/Danny-Rughoobeer.