Dad from Bourne to take on 205-mile cycle challenge to support Peterborough children's charity

A dad from Bourne is to take on an epic 205-mile cycle ride to support a children’s charity in Peterborough.

Nick Leaton, 51, has already clocked up a whopping 2870 miles in the saddle to train for the ‘Chase the Sun’ event on June 21.

The gruelling challenge will see participants cycle a 205-mile route across the width of England – from Minster-on-Sea in the east, to Weston-Super-Mare in the west. To add to the difficulty of the challenge, the full route incorporates 3000m of elevation and needs to be completed in daylight hours.

He will do all this in the hopes of raising £1000 for the Peterborough branch of Little Miracles – a charity supporting families of children with life-limiting conditions, disabilities and additional needs.

Many participants usually complete the Chase the Sun challenge as part of a relay team, but Nick has chosen to ride it solo for Little Miracles, which is based at The Spinney in Hartwell Way.

Explaining why he chose the charity, Nick said: "I want to fundraise for Little Miracles as they made such a positive difference for one of our family friends. And after a visit to The Spinney, I was totally inspired by the facilities and support they have in place for families who have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions.

"They are also one of my employers’ charities of choice following the support they provided for one of our work colleagues."

Nick is following a rigorous weekly training plan to prepare for this ride, combining long-distance weekend rides and hill training with shorter road trips. On Saturday, he and two friends plan to cycle a 100-mile route through the Lincolnshire Wolds - finishing on the challenging Michaelgate Climb in Lincoln located between the castle and the cathedral.

“There is one person that I couldn’t do this without and that is my wife,” Nick added. “The love, encouragement, and support from her while I am putting myself through this training has meant so much, even when I’ve felt like stopping or skipping training sessions, she has always been there. "

Little Miracles supports children from birth to 25. They also offer essential services to family members and carers, including counselling, family support, respite services, training, and access to community groups.

Vicki, a fundraiser from Little Miracles said: "We were thrilled when Nick contacted us to share that he was taking on this epic challenge to support Little Miracles and are in awe of the commitment and lengths he is going to, to ensure he’s well prepared for his ‘Chase the Sun’ ride. As a charity, we rely almost entirely on voluntary donations and without support from brave people like Nick we just couldn’t support the families that we do. We love Nick’s updates and can’t wait to support him on the 21 of June to ensure he pushes through to the finish line."

If you’d like to help Nick reach his sponsorship target, please visit his JustGiving page.