Craig and Gerard complete The Dragon Devil Ride in memory of Fiona Rose.
28 Jun 2022
On Sunday 19 June 2022 Craig Stockley and his brother-in-law, Gerard Gormley, completed The Dragon Ride in memory of Craig’s sister Fiona.
The Dragon Devil Ride is described as one of the toughest sportives in the UK. The distance is 297 KM / 184 miles and 15,676 FT of climbing in the Brecon Beacon, Wales.
Craig said “We wanted to raise funds for two worthy charities – Bowel Cancer UK and York Against Cancer to fund future research and as a thank you for the fantastic care and support they provided my sister.
We decided to put brotherly competitiveness to one side on this one occasion and put all our energy into supporting each other to complete our toughest challenge yet.”
Gerard Gormley went on to say, “It was a privilege to take part in this event with my brother-in-law and best friend, Craig.
Craig’s sister Fiona was such a wonderful lady. To have a family member pass away so young is so sad, even more so when they leave children behind. Craig and I were side-by-side every pedal stroke, determined to complete this ride in memory of Fiona and we did it. Your donation will make a difference – no matter how small.”
They completed the race with over 12 hours in the saddle, 296KM cycled, 18 climbs and 15,000FT ascent in the Brecon Beacons.
Craig continued, “There were a few hiccups – Gerard’s bike had a broken derailleur which meant an emergency, last-minute bike hire – but after that the rest of the ride went to plan!
We managed refuelling and hydration well, and we’d trained hard enough to conquer the climbs. Both of us found the last 30KM from the top of last mountain to the finish line in Margam Park, Port Talbot the hardest.
Thank you for everyone’s support and kind words – it got us to the finish line. Over £2000 has been raised for Bowel Cancer UK and York Against Cancer. Might take a rest for a bit now whilst pondering the next challenge. Thank you.”
Lauren Hudson, Head of Fundraising said, “This is truly an amazing effort! Well done Craig and Gerard! Thank you so much for your support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without people like you.”
