…and I would cycle 200 more…well, maybe not, actually. I’ve already done double the challenge set! It’s all been for a good cause though. Let me explain!

The last few months have been difficult for so many of us, being on lockdown and figuring out how to make the situation with a global pandemic work for us as individuals and as a society. But for some of us this has been even harder, dealing with loss and grief and utter heart break.

Back in May this year, we lost my father-in-law, Keith. He was first diagnosed with a combination of Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia in June 2018.  But over the past year he’d deteriorated drastically.  Having turned 80 years old in April 2020 we said goodbye just one month later.

And due to the coronavirus situation, we were limited in how we could celebrate his life and mourn our loss as a family. So when I heard about the Alzheimer’s Society Strava July 2020 Cycle Challenge, it was a no-brainer. I knew I had to do it. It gave me a chance to channel our loss into something positive, as Keith would’ve wanted.

One of my business values is helping people, and I know that the money I’m fundraising will help people like Keith who are currently living with dementia.

Keith - my inspiration for the challenge

Although he was my father-in-law, Keith and I had a very close relationship.  Since I’d known him, I always thought of him like my second dad. I was always there for him, lending my ear to him and going along with all his wee stories and I saw him every day. Even on his lockdown birthday when he turned 80 in April, we (Brian, Nic and I) tried to make celebrations as grand as we could, making the best of an awful situation, standing outside the home singing to him.

His funny stories made me laugh, even when I’d heard them a hundred times, and his illness meant that he presented as different ages when we saw him, sometimes breaking our hearts asking us when his mum and dad would be popping in for a visit, and even mistaking me for his mum when I tucked him in at bedtime. He’s sit, folding bits of paper for ages, and then we’d keep finding them hidden in random places, which never failed to make us smile.

He passed away on 22nd May 2020, after years of battling Dementia and Alzheimer’s, then a fight with Covid-19 and finally a stroke. Keith was one in a million and I know he’d be proud of me tackling such a big physical challenge, and Brian for supporting me through it.

So thank you, Keith, for inspiring me.

Get on yer bike

I’ve always enjoyed cycling, but it wasn’t something I done on a regular basis. But during lockdown heading out on my two wheels was a little bit of peace and quiet, a real sanity saver. I used the time to think and explore new ideas, peddling along and making mental notes about things I saw or ideas that popped into my head. In fact, I was on my bike when I mapped out my new VA mentoring services!

But losing my father-in-law and having our routine of visiting him fall apart, meant that cycling gave me an outlet for my grief and sadness. I jumped at the chance to put my resilience and cycling abilities to the test when I read about the Alzheimer’s Society challenge, and knew that it would be good for me and a lovely way to pay tribute to Keith.

And because I never do anything by halves, I decided to double the distance required and do 200 miles instead of just 100!

The cycling has been hard at times, battling the Scottish weather and all those hills! Oh so many hills! But thinking of Keith and all the people I’m helping has made it bearable.

Fundraising goals

I initially set my target at £250, because I was very conscious of the economic climate and didn’t want to people to feel pressure to donate.

I told a few close friends and family about my challenge in honour of Keith, and word seemed to spread fast! I very quickly smashed my original target and have now raised £2385! That’s a whopping 953% of what I thought I might raise.

I’m so proud of not only completing the challenge (I did the final 10 miles yesterday on 29th July! Woo!) and persevering through the wind and rain, but the amount I’ve raised which will help people coping with Dementia and Alzheimer’s - through companionship calls and advice lines, and ongoing support.

If you’d like to support my fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society the link to my just giving page is:  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/CycleforDementiaStravaChallenge-KarenRitchie

I’m Karen Ritchie, a Virtual Assistant helping busy entrepreneurs and business owners to grow their business and bring organisation into their lives!

If you’d like to find out more about how I’ll help you run your business, seamlessly, behind the scenes, head over to my Instagram and see what else I’ve been up to.