Dave's 300km cycle ride in memory of a friend

The 46-year old from Dalgety Bay is cycling to raise awareness of Autism and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and to generate funds for Scottish Autism and MND Scotland.

He has taken on a number of long-distance rides, including the 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris race in France, and also appeared on an episode of the BBC’s The Adventure Show.

For each of his rides, David has taken part in events as a member of Audax UK – The Long Distance Cyclists’ Association.

But for Saturday’s Nightrider, David will be taking part solely for his chosen charities instead.

He is taking on the challenge in aid of MND Scotland after losing his close friend Chris Hall to MND in 2006.

David said: “Chris and I were both recreational scuba divers and that’s how we knew each other. He lived near Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire, and I lived in Leeds at the time.

“I felt sad for his diagnosis, and frustrated that there was little that could be done for him.

“But Chris showed a winning smile throughout the whole journey. Although Chris had MND for around a year he made sure he did as much as he could to continue as normally as one would, including getting married and a diving trip to Norway on board a live-aboard boat.

“He walked with a stick by then, but he never let the condition get in his way.”

Now David is preparing to test himself with a 300k cycle. The Nightrider is an overnight 100km cycle ride through the streets of Glasgow.

“I’ll be doing Nightrider with a friend who lives in Glasgow. She entered with the aim of raising money for Scottish Autism and was looking for support. I thought I could join her to support her the whole way and also raise funds for Scottish Autism and MND Scotland, at the same time.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I had a slow year last year, due to injury, and I feel as though I’ve been lazy all winter. This gave me a goal to work towards, to get fitter for.”

Dave has also chosen to cycle to Glasgow from his home before the event starts.

Iain McWhirter, MND Scotland’s head of fundraising, said: “I’d like to thank Dave for sharing Chris’ story and helping us raise awareness of MND.

“I’m thrilled that Dave has chosen to raise funds for MND Scotland at the Glasgow Nightrider. We wouldn’t be able to support people affected by MND in Scotland without the commitment and support from amazing fundraisers like him.’’

If you’d like to support David on his cycle you can sponsor him HERE Dave Crampton