Friendship and solidarity drive team ahead of gruelling 24-hour cycling challenge

Cancer fundraisers prepare for gruelling 24-hour cycle challenge as team reaches £16,000 milestone. 

A group of cyclists will take on a gruelling 24-hour endurance race in Germany this month, raising money for the cancer services that cared for one of their teammates. 

Team Mid-Gear-Crisis will compete in the Rad am Ring, a challenging cycle race held on the Nürburgring motorsport circuit in Germany. 

The team includes Stuart Thomas, Matthew Flynn, John Chandler and Joe Alexander, a former lymphoma patient who received treatment at Ipswich Hospital following his second cancer diagnosis. Joe and his teammates are undertaking the challenge to give something back to the hospital’s cancer services and have already raised an incredible £16,000. 

The challenge has taken on even greater significance following difficult news for Joe’s teammate and friend, John Chandler. 

John has previously been treated for kidney cancer and learned just days before the challenge, that he has now been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The news has made the team’s forthcoming challenge particularly poignant, highlighting the devastating and far-reaching impact cancer can have on patients, families and friends. 

Despite facing an incredibly difficult time, John remains surrounded by the friendship and support of his teammates. The solidarity between the cyclists is clear and has become a great source of strength for the whole group as they prepare to face the challenge together. 

Joe said: “This challenge was already hugely personal to us, but John’s recent diagnosis has made it even more meaningful. 

“We are a very close team, and the friendship and support between us will be what carries us through the difficult moments. We want to raise a load of money to support the Woolverstone Centre. They have been absolutely fantastic in the treatment of myself, and I want to give something back.” 

The Rad am Ring will see the cyclists repeatedly tackle the demanding Nürburgring circuit for 24 hours, including steep climbs, fast descents and significant changes in elevation. 

In preparation, Team Mid-Gear-Crisis recently completed a training ride visiting several of the local businesses supporting their challenge. The cyclists stopped at Ipswich Hospital, where they received a warm welcome from charity and hospital staff who gathered to cheer them on. 

Sandra Gosney, community fundraising manager at Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity, said: “Joe and the entire Mid-Gear-Crisis team are taking on an extraordinary challenge. 

“Their determination to support the services that cared for Joe is incredibly inspiring, and reaching £16,000 is a wonderful achievement. Everyone at the charity will be supporting them as they take on the Rad am Ring. We would also like to wish John all the best with his Cancer treatment” 

Money raised through the challenge will support cancer services at Ipswich Hospital, helping the charity fund equipment, facilities and additional support that go beyond what the NHS alone can provide. 

To support Team Mid-Gear-Crisis and donate, visit: justgiving.com/page/radamring24