Dave to take on 300km ultra-cycle in memory of Chris

Dave Crampton (46), from Dalgety Bay, is gearing up to take on a 300km ultra-cycle to raise awareness of Autism and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and to raise funds for the charities Scottish Autism and MND Scotland.

David is the partner of Josie and is the father of two young sons. David works as a Layout Engineer, at Dialog Semiconductor in Edinburgh, and has had a long-term passion for cycling.

In his years of cycling, David has taken on a number of long-distance rides, including the 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris race in France. David has also appeared on an episode of the BBC’s The Adventure Show.

For each of his rides David has taken part in events as a member of Audax UK – The Long Distance Cyclists’ Association.

But for his charity challenge, which includes the 100km Glasgow Nightrider, David will be taking part solely for his chosen causes instead.

Dave will be taking on the challenge in aid of MND Scotland after losing his close friend Chris Hall to MND in 2006. He will also be supporting Scottish Autism as his son is affected by the condition.

MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This may cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink or breathe unaided.

David said: “I’m doing this in the memory of my friend Chris Hall, who passed away in April 2006. Chris and I were both recreational scuba divers and that’s how we knew each other. He lived near Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire, and I lived in Leeds at the time.

“Sadly, Chris passed away in April 2006 after being diagnosed with MND a year earlier.

“I felt sad for his diagnosis and frustrated that there was little that could be done for him. But Chris showed a winning smile throughout the whole journey. Although Chris had MND for around a year he made sure he did as much as he could to continue as normally as one would, including getting married and a diving trip to Norway on board a live-aboard boat.

“He walked with a stick by then, but he never let the condition get in his way.”

Now David is preparing to test himself with a 300k cycle to raise awareness and funds for the charities in Chris’s memory.

“I’ll be doing Nightrider with a friend who lives in Glasgow. She entered with the aim of raising money for Scottish Autism and was looking for support. I thought I could join her to support her the whole way and also raise funds for Scottish Autism and MND Scotland, at the same time.

“The Nightrider is an overnight 100km cycle ride through the streets of Glasgow. I’m really looking forward to it. I had a slow year last year, due to injury, and I feel as though I’ve been lazy all winter. This gave me a goal to work towards, to get fitter for.”

Not only will David be taking part in the Nightrider event itself, but he has also chosen to cycle to Glasgow from his home in Dalgety Bay before the event starts.

“To add to the challenge I’ll be starting off by cycling to Glasgow. I’ll be riding with my friend and then riding straight home after the Nightrider – so a minimum of at least 300km.”

Iain McWhirter, MND Scotland’s Head of Fundraising, said: “I’d like to thank Dave for sharing Chris’s story and helping us raise awareness of MND.

“I’m thrilled that Dave has chosen to raise funds for MND Scotland at the Glasgow Nightrider. We wouldn’t be able to support people affected by MND in Scotland without the commitment and support from amazing fundraisers like him.

“I’m wishing Dave all the best in his training and fundraising ahead of the Nightrider and we’ll be cheering him on every step of the way.”

If you’d like to support David on his cycle you can sponsor him on his Virgin Money Giving page.