It was dark when Henry Furniss set out for Regent’s Park, London, on Thursday morning. His nose was already streaming - a cold he’d picked up the day before, destined to make the next 24 hours even tougher than they were supposed to be.
Soon he fitted into a steady pace, slotting in with his friend Massimo Saetta behind a group of his Q36.5 CBRE team, their navy-blue kit flashing through London’s mid-morning buzz (after coffee and cake at the Pinarello store).
The challenge was inspired by an earlier one: last year, Tim Allen and friends had taken on the Regent's Park time trial, only to be caught in torrential rain, and, unable to maintain a steady core body temperature, two riders had to drop out with hyperthermia. Luckily, Furniss and co. had the weather on their side. They’d worked out that they needed to keep a steady(ish) pace of around 19mph to reach their goal of 450 miles in the set time, but they didn’t account for one thing: art fans.
Traffic lights stalled their progress, and hoards of Frieze Art Fair goers clogged the route, with parts of the park intermittently cordoned off. But for Furniss, it wasn’t too much of a problem. “It was all quite interesting people watching,” he said. “We got to know the people at the crossings.”
“The day was kind of book ended by two amazing people,” Furniss said. “There was a 14-year old standing on the side of the road saying, is this the 24 hour time trial? Can I join you? Which I thought was so brave.
“And then right at the end, the brother of a guy that I know quite well rocked up. He’d ridden down from North London for about an hour - he was 81.”
“I love that about cycling - it's such a leveller. We all have this thing in common that we all love, regardless of our age or background,” Furniss said.
The ride was raising money for two charities: the Laureus Sport for Good who work with underprivileged school children to get them into sports, and for the Alzheimer’s Society. Both are close to Furniss’ heart, but after his dad, received a diagnosis of vascular dementia six years ago, the latter has entered his life more acutely.
He explained: “One of the things that I've learned about dementia, which none of us learn until you know someone really close to you, that's got it, is that only 5% of Alzheimer's cases have been proven to be hereditary. You know, selfishly, you're like, Oh my God, my dad's got dementia, his father had it, his uncle had it - I'm gonna get it. You selfishly think that way.
"Then you start looking into it, and you start looking into lifestyle, and how profound the effect of lifestyle is on your likelihood to get it at all. Depending on lifestyle, the variance is about 30 years if you have a terrible lifestyle versus if your lifestyle is really good."
“Stay hydrated,” he advises on his JustGiving page. “Eat clean. Prioritise sleep. Move your body - really move it. Suck at something new. Ditch the alcohol (yes, any amount is too much). Floss!”
“It’s funny, when I tell people about the flossing thing, they all run straight down to Boots,” Furniss smiled. The science backs it up, with a recent study suggesting that gum disease and mouth infections could lead to the development of Alzheimer’s, though more consistent research suggests that a healthy diet, sustained exercise and hobbies that stretch the brain (like dance or music) can also help maintain general health for longer.
Furniss, Saetta and their Q36.5 CBRE teammates - plus everyone who came to cycle with them - finished their team time trial in 24 hours and seven minutes, at an average pace of 19.2 miles per hour ("it's been pretty flipping tough, I have to say!"). They have so far raised almost 50% of their £10,000 donation aim, and will be keeping their JustGiving page open for more donations.
According to Alzheimer's UK, dementia is the UK's biggest killer, affecting one in three people.
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