Cardiff man bikes 500 miles around Wales for Alzheimer's Society

Ospreys and Wales international rugby star Dan Biggar attended the launch with Alzheimer's Society staff to see him off in style from the Liberty stadium in Swansea on Friday morning. He then cycled north through Wales all the way up to Chester, before returning South via Birmingham and Worcester, finally arriving in Cardiff on Monday morning. 

The epic test of endurance saw Dave cycle through the night on two occasions and contend with treacherous conditions on the country roads, as he explains,

'It was freezing cold and I felt quite vulnerable when I was all alone in the night in the middle of the countryside. Towards the end my back was absolutely killing me and I was incredibly tired, but all that's nothing compared to what people with Alzheimer's and their families go through, so I knew that I had to keep going no matter what it took.'

Dave chose to support the Society after doing some research and discovering that dementia cannot currently be cured. To help him combat the pain and fatigue he told us that he reflected on the experiences of families living with dementia. As well as raising funds, Dave wanted to provide people affected by dementia with hope for the future as he recalls,

'Some people said that cycling 500 miles in 72 hours was impossible, so I thought that completing a seemingly impossible challenge, will show everyone that anything is possible if you work hard enough, and one day that will include a cure for Alzheimer's'

He hopes to raise £1,000 for the Society through sponsorship, and people can still help him reach his total by donating to his JustGiving page or by texting JDOB51 £1 to 70070. You can read a more detailed account of his incredible journey on his Twitter account.

South Wales community fundraiser Kate Hopkins, who welcomed Dave to the finish line in Cardiff with other staff and volunteers, said:

'On behalf of the Society I'd like to congratulate Dave for his monumental achievement and wish him the best of luck in achieving his fundraising target. He really is an inspiration to anyone thinking of taking on a fundraising challenge for us. We have lots of different challenges to suit all ages and abilities, so people shouldn't be put off if they don't think they can match Dave's heroics!'