In June this year, I will be cycling around 800-900 kilometres for the Melanoma Institute of Australia. I will be flying off to Manchester (UK) on the 1st of June. After a couple of days to get over jetlag, I will be setting off on my travels. I have a few route ideas in mind, as shown below (in no particular order of preference).
1. Edinburgh Castle to Buckingham Palace
2. Manchester to Paris (via Utah beach & Villers-Bretonneux)
3. London to Paris (via Utah Beach & Villers-Bretonneux)
4. Dublin to London (via Belfast, Liverpool, Manchester)
Why am I cycling for Melanoma Institute of Australia?
Around a year ago, I had a mole cut out of my scalp. A few days later, I received the pathology results: it was discovered that the mole had an in-situ melanoma (melanoma is the deadliest of all skin cancers). After being referred to a melanoma specialist, I had to have surgery to have more of the surrounding tissue cut out. The remaining tissue was successfully cut out. Two follow up skin checks revealed everything was all clear.
I had always planned on a multi-week bicycle tour this year and had originally planned on cycling purely for myself – no fundraising for charities. However, after my recent experiences, I decided that I would cycle for the Melanoma Institute of Australia, to raise money, and melanoma awareness. Because of its geographical location, and its hot sun, Australia is pretty much the melanoma capital of the world. This isn’t helped with too many people venturing outside with skin protection, be it sunscreen, a hat, clothing that covers you, and so on. And it doesn’t have to be a very hot day to have high UV levels.
I will shortly be setting up a fundraising page and there will be a link in the menu of this blog. I’ve also included a short video below of the rearch work that the Melanoma Institute have been doing. Please stay tuned for further updates!