Please allow me to introduce Tony, a great friend of the shop…….
Tony is a young 57-year-old football and cycling fan, born and raised in Burton upon Trent. Tony has followed both The Brewers and The Toffees (wont hold that against him) since his junior school days.
In April 2027, he will be taking on a challenge that means more to him than any football match, bike ride, or sporting event ever could. For most people, this would be a difficult challenge but for Tony there is a much deeper reason, something far more personal.
In February 2024, at the age of 55 his life changed overnight when Tony was diagnosed with Myeloma. Within just a week, at the beginning of March 2024 he started four months of intensive chemotherapy. The following months were some of the toughest he had ever faced. After completing chemotherapy Tony underwent a Stem Cell Transplant at Birmingham Hospital followed by a further two months of chemotherapy treatment. Like anyone facing a cancer diagnosis, there were times of uncertainty, fear and exhaustion. Cancer does not only affect you physically. It affects your family, your friends, and every aspect of your daily life.
Thankfully, just before Christmas 2024 Tony received the wonderful news that his Myeloma was in remission.
Sadly, Myeloma remains an incurable and ultimately terminal cancer. While treatments continue to improve and can keep the disease under control for many years, there is currently no cure. Tony now takes a daily low-dose chemotherapy tablet, which he will continue until at least December 2028, when the treatment plan will be reviewed again.
Although he is incredibly grateful to be in remission, fatigue remains a part of daily life. Some days are better than others, but it is a constant reminder of the impact Myeloma and its treatment continue to have. Training for this challenge while managing that fatigue will be one of the toughest obstacles he will face.
It’s not just about cycling between some football clubs! It is his way of giving something back and raising awareness of a cancer that many people have never heard of until it affects them personally. It is also his way of thanking Myeloma UK for the incredible work they do supporting patients and families across the UK.
Tony says he is one of the lucky ones !!! He was given another chance, and this challenge is his way of making sure that chance helps others too.
Tony wants to raise awareness of Myeloma and raise as much money as possible for Myeloma UK, a charity that provides vital support, information, research and one day, hopefully a cure. You can read more about Myeloma UK here and we will post a Just Giving link early in the New Year.
The Challenge
From Monday 19 April to Friday 23 April 2027, Tony will be cycling 100 miles over 5 days.
What makes this challenge even tougher is that he will be completing the entire journey on an Old-school Raleigh Tuff Burner BMX bike, covering an average of 20 miles every day. On a BMX, that is not going to be easy!
Inspired by the Tour de France, this challenge will be split into five separate stages, each beginning and ending at a different football club with visits to a number of football clubs along the route.
Stage 1 – Monday 19th April 2027, “Brewers, Rams and BMX’s”
Start: Burton Albion FC
Via: Hilton Harriers FC & Mickleover FC
Finish: Derby County FC
Stage 2 – Tuesday 20th April 2027, “The Potteries pedal”
Starting club to be confirmed
Finish: Stoke City FC
Stage 3 – Wednesday 21st April 2027, “Sandbach today, Saddle sore tonight” Start: Sandbach United FC
Via: Crewe Alexandra FC & Nantwich Town FC
Finish: Whitchurch Alport FC
Stage 4 – Thursday 22nd April 2027, “The Welsh Border hills battle”
Start: Chirk AAA FC
Via: The Rock Stadium, Pen-y-cae FC, Bellevue FC & Brymbo FC
Finish: Wrexham AFC and into The Turf Pub
Stage 5 – Friday 23rd April 2027, “Finch Farm to the finish”
Start: Everton’s Finch Farm Training Ground
Via: Anfield, Bootle FC and Goodison Park
Finish: Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium
Cycling 2000 Support
We are helping and supporting Tony in any way we can to help him on the challenge. The first job is to build the bike and customise it for the ride with suitable pedals seatpost, handlebars and saddle. In April we will be joining Tony to ride some of the stages along the route.
The bike will be built during October 26 so Tony has plenty of change to train and test the bike out before the ride in April next year. We will post progress images below and on Facebook.
