A PARAMEDIC who suffered life-threatening injuries in a cycling incident is now cycling nearly 900 miles from Rotterdam to Nice to see the final stage of this year’s Tour de France.
Jack Talbot, 31, from Ulverston, will travelling across to Rotterdam on 12 July and is hoping to cover the mileage on his bike in just nine days.
He will be documenting the journey on his Instagram @jacksonabike and is raising funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) after the charity came to his aid in July 2017.
Seven years ago, Mr Talbot was cycling in Ulverston when he was involved in a serious collision with a car.
He was in a critical condition and sustained a serious brain injury, a T7 spinal fracture, a broken shoulder blade, rib fractures and a collapsed lung.
His colleagues from the North West Ambulance Service worked alongside a doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS to treat Mr Talbot, and he was put into a medically induced coma on scene before being airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital.
Mr Talbot remained in an induced coma for 13 days and stayed in hospital for five weeks before making a great recovery.
He’s since reunited with the doctor and paramedic from GNAAS who treated him and has carried out several cycling events which have raised thousands of pounds for the charity.
One of the events is a cycling ‘hill climb’ event on The Struggle, near Ambleside with all the proceeds of the entry fee goingto GNAAS.
He’s now decided to raise further funds for the charity by completing an 880-mile cycling challenge, crossing seven countries to reach Nice, which is the location of the final stage of this year’s Tour de France.
He said: “I had the idea to complete this mega cycle challenge last week to raise money for GNAAS, and things have spiralled from there.
“I’m completing this ride totally self-supported, and it’s without a doubt the most insane and scary thing I’ve ever done.”
Starting in Rotterdam, Mr Talbot will be cycling through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy then finishing in Nice, ready to watch the famous bicycle race on 21 July.
Mr Talbot has set himself a fundraising target of £1,000 and has already raised £18 before beginning his challenge.
He said: “I’m raising money for GNAAS after they saved my life in 2017, and so they can go on to save lives like mine.”
To sponsor Mr Talbot, visit his JustGiving page.
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