Kirkcaldy duo take on 333-mile tandem bike challenge in Parkinson's fundraiser

Two Kirkcaldy men are embarking on a marathon 333-mile tandem bike challenge ahead of a charity four nations golf tournament at the world famous Belfry golf course.
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Alex Carruthers, former Kirkcaldy rugby club captain, and retired businessman Chic Stenhouse, who both live with Parkinson's, are taking on the ambitious challenge in aid of charity, Cure Parkinson's.

Both men are well known around Kirkcaldy, with Chic owning a string of restaurants and bars over the years before retiring, and Alex having had a distinguished rugby playing career, including playing in the Heineken Cup.

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In recent weeks they can be seen between 7:00am and 8:00am, and 7:00pm and 8:00pm completing loops of the Prom.

Alex Carruthers and Chic Stenhouse will take on the tandem cycle challenge, before playing in the four nations tournament at the BelfryAlex Carruthers and Chic Stenhouse will take on the tandem cycle challenge, before playing in the four nations tournament at the Belfry
Alex Carruthers and Chic Stenhouse will take on the tandem cycle challenge, before playing in the four nations tournament at the Belfry

The duo are using the popular waterfront in an attempt to cover the equivalent distance between Kirkcaldy and Birmingham’s Belfry golf course over the course of September.

And after some initial teething problems, Chic said the duo are beginning to enjoy the experience.

He added: “It’s good fun. There’s all sorts of issues in terms of co-ordination and communication but once you overcome that, I’d recommend it to anybody. If I can jump on a bike after 40 years, anybody can do it!”

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Alex decided he wanted to do something which was a bit of a “novelty” to help raise the funds for the charity – and decided to get in the saddle, and take on the cycling challenge.

He said: “The distance from Kirkcaldy to the Belfry is 333 miles, so I said I would cycle that distance in the month of September”.

Alex was part of the Scottish contingent that played in last year’s golf tournament and, having enjoyed the experience, but needing new players, he brought Chic on board.

He said: “I decided I would try to rope Chic in because we were looking for other Parkinson's golfers”.

Chic, however, is much more modest on his golfing prowess.

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He said: “I would say I’m doing the golf thing, not because I’m a golfer but it’s more because I’ve got Parkinson's and I have to play golf. It’s not because of my golfing skills that I’ve been selected!”

Alex and Chic will join up with their teammates on Tuesday, October 11, ahead of the event at the Belfry.

Day one takes on a Ryder Cup format with the duo part of a 10 man team representing Scotland.

They’ll take on teams from England, Ireland and Wales, before day two sees them take part in the celeb-amateur game, followed by a gala dinner.

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Last year saw Alex represent Scotland in the inaugural competition, before playing alongside Scottish football star Alan McInally ,and the Glenrothes-born actor Dougray Scott in the celebrity-amateur game.

They were able to raise over £5500 for Sport Parkinson's and Parkinson's UK in the process.

After that success, this year they had a bigger target in mind, which the team already smashed.

Chic explains: “Each team had a team target of £7,500 but we’re up over £8000 at the moment”.

You can find their Just Giving page, here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ScotlandTeam2022

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