A 75-year-old man from Buckinghamshire pedalled his way to success in the London to Brighton Bike Ride for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and rasied 1 million pounds in charity.
Philip Courtenay-Luck from Denhan in Buckinghamshire was part of the 10,000 riders on 18th June who took on the mammoth distance from Clapham Common to the Brighton seafront, all with the same mission to fund lifesaving research.
The BHF’s flagship fundraising event, which has now been running for almost half a century, is this year, on its way to raising a staggering £2 million for the charity’s groundbreaking research into new treatments and cures for heart and circulatory diseases. Philip raised an incredible £18,000 this year by doing the gruelling 54-mile cycle for both the BHF and Thames Hospice.
This was Philip’s 40th consecutive year cycling the London to Brighton Bike Ride. At 75-years-old, his first ride was in 1983 and he believes this year, in 2023, was his last cycle. In the past, Philip has won awards for being the highest individual fundraiser for the BHF doing the ride.
Over the 40 years, Philip has raised a million pounds for charity. £130,000 of that has been exclusively for the BHF following Philip’s ablation procedure in 2014, a treatment that aims to correct certain types of abnormal heart rhythms by blocking electrical pathways in the heart.
Upon flying through the finish line, Philip said: “Taking part in this year’s British Heart Foundation (BHF) London to Brighton Bike Ride was a truly incredible experience. The route was stunning although brutal at times! The crowds at the end were wonderful and it felt so nice to have so many people cheering me on along the seafront. The perfect end to my 40-year run.
“The research that the BHF does makes such a difference to the 7.6 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases. I’m proud to know I’m doing as much as I can to support their amazing work to help fund the next big scientific breakthrough.”
Roisin Greenup, Senior Events Manager at the BHF, added: “It’s fantastic to see Philip’s passion and determination in helping us fund lifesaving research. Without the dedication of our cyclists and the commitment of phenomenal fundraisers like Philip, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.
“The stories of why our amazing supporters take part in our London to Brighton Bike Ride never fails to impress us. It was fantastic to see Philip join thousands of other riders to take on this challenge to help save and improve lives.”
London to Brighton Bike Ride 2024 ballot is now open: in.events.bhf.org.uk/london-
