A grieving son will take on a 100-mile cycle challenge to raise funds for research into the disease which claimed his father.

Nigel Maycock’s brain tumour diagnosis meant he was never able to fulfil his ambition to take part in Prudential RideLondon. Now his son Sam will complete the event on his dad’s bike.

Astonished by the number of people who suffer from this disease, Sam, 23, a commodity trader from West Horsley, Surrey, will tackle the gruelling sportive in aid of the Brain Tumour Research charity.

He said: “The RideLondon course runs past our family home and taking part was always a dream of my dad’s. I know that if he was still with us then he would be on the start line alongside me. The race will be all the more special because I’ll be racing on dad’s bike and it’s the day before what would have been his 53rd birthday.

“It shocks me that this disease is so prevalent and devastating, yet there is a serious lack of funding for research into a cure. I’m hoping to raise at least £2,000 and would be extremely grateful for any donations towards my target.”

Nigel experienced an epileptic seizure whilst at home and MRI scans to determine the cause revealed he had a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a highly aggressive type of brain tumour. Nigel, who worked as a Project Manager at business insurance company 
Allianz, had surgery to debulk to the tumour followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Sadly, the treatment proved unsuccessful and Nigel rapidly deteriorated and died in October 2017, aged 52.

Like his dad, Sam, who works for German energy trading house RWE, is a keen rugby player and both father and son were regulars on the pitch at Effingham and Leatherhead RFC. Sam added: “I broke my arm six weeks ago playing rugby which has affected my cycle training to say the least but I’m still determined to cross that finish line. Dad outlived his prognosis by two and half years through sheer determination and remembering this will keep me going.”

Joining Sam will be his university friend, Alex Truman, and 22 other cyclists supporting the charity at “the world’s greatest festival of cycling.” Some 25,000 are expected for the RideLondon-Surrey 100-mile sportive which will set off from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London on Sunday 29th July before heading through the capital and out into the Surrey countryside, taking in the family’s home village of West Horsley, and returning to the finish on The Mall.   

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer but just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. The charity is striving to fund a network of seven dedicated research centres whilst challenging the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in brain tumour research.

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager for the Brain Tumour Research charity, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Nigel’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to all our riders for their support and wish them well.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Sam and Alex’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/samandalex-ride-100 


For further information, please contact:
Farel Williams at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.Williams@braintumourresearch.org


Notes to Editors 

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK focused on funding sustainable research to find a cure for brain tumours. We have established a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, over £6 million was raised towards research and support during 2017.

We are campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to £30 - £35 million a year, in line with breast cancer and leukaemia. The unprecedented success of our 2015 petition led to the 2016 Westminster Hall debate and Brain Tumour Research taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research with the report being published in 2018.

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• They kill more children than leukaemia
• They kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• They kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease
• In the UK, 16,000 people each year in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers
• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
• Incidences of and deaths from brain tumours are increasing

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website including our latest Report on National Research Funding. We can also provide case-studies and research expertise for media.