A young man has conquered an iconic Tour de France mountain inspired by his dad who is living with a terminal brain tumour.
Joe Bergin and his friend of 15 years Pat Brogan took on the epic cycling challenge which saw them climb 1,860m to the top of Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps. They pedalled 21 bends over 13km with an average gradient of 8% to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
It was inspired by Joe’s dad Liam who was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in April 2020.
Joe said: “It’s legendary. It’s known as being one of the most famous climbs in cycling and is an important stage in the Tour de France. It was really tough, and my legs were crying, but it was great once we got to the top!
“Dad always wanted to do this but he never got the chance, so I wanted to take the opportunity to raise money and awareness of this devastating disease.
“We probably won’t find a cure during Dad’s lifetime, but I’m hopeful for others in the future.”
In June, Liam, a keen cyclist himself, and Joe cycled 100 miles on a tandem to Liam’s hometown of Stafford, also raising funds for Brain Tumour Research. Earlier in the year, the pair attended a tour of our Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London where Liam placed nine tiles on the Wall of Hope dedicated to young people who have lost their lives to brain tumours.
Liam said: “I am determined to keep going for as long as I can. I want to be a force for good and I’m doing this for all those who have died from brain tumours.”
To support Joe and Pat’s fundraising, please visit their JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/patrick-joe
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