Two cyclists left Land’s End on July 1 with a destination 1000 miles north: Sumburgh Airport in the Shetland Isles. Rob Thick, from Prestwick, and Hadley Gibson, from Carlisle, expect the ride to take 10 days. It is for a friend.
Kieran Clark, from Prestwick, died of prostate cancer in November. He was 38. He had worked as an air traffic control engineer for NATS, and the riders are his colleagues.
The route links two of the air navigation beacons Kieran worked with, the southernmost at Land’s End and the northernmost at Sumburgh. “As a tribute to Kieran, and his many years working as an air traffic control engineer for NATS, we are cycling from his most southerly site,” their fundraising page says.
His illness changed things for the team. A spokesperson said that before Kieran died, the male colleagues on the NATS Outstations team took PSA tests, which check for prostate cancer. Paul Graham, from Paisley, tested positive. He had no symptoms at all.
Paul has since had surgery to remove his prostate and is waiting to learn whether he needs radiotherapy. “Paul feels that Kieran was able to save his life through his death,” the spokesperson said.
The cyclists were due to pass through their home regions between July 5 and 7. They want to raise £20,000, and by Friday, July 3 the total stood at more than £7,700. The money goes to Prostate Cancer UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.
“Kieran was someone many of us worked alongside, shared good times with and his loss has been deeply felt by a huge number of people,” the fundraising page says.
Consult your doctor for medical advice.
