Sussex man who nearly died after colliding with hearse cycles 950 miles for charity
Despite a near-fatal cycling accident two years ago, determined fundraiser Stuart Humphrey from Haywards Heath is back on the saddle to ride 957 miles this August in the London-Edinburgh-London bike ride to raise money for local charity Sussex Cancer Fund.
Stuart hopes to raise £1 for every mile of the challenge, which takes place 3-8 August 2025. The road course will take him to the capital cities of England and Scotland and must be completed over 5 days, within 128 hours. The event takes place every 4 years, with around 2,000 participants taking on the gruelling route.
Serious accident
This will be the first time Stuart, who was involved in a serious cycling accident in 2023, has undertaken the challenge. While cycling down Ditchling Beacon, the traffic had stopped and Stuart rode straight into the back of a hearse. When he came around, he could neither stand nor breathe properly. The hearse driver rushed him to hospital in the back of his vehicle.
“It would have been funny if I hadn’t been in so much pain,” said Stuart. “I remember saying to the driver that if I didn’t make it to hospital, he could at least fast track me to the morgue! I can look back now and laugh, but there was an empty coffin in the hearse, and I half wondered if I might end up in it.”
Lucky to be alive, Stuart remained in a critical condition in hospital for over a week, where he was treated for a bleed on the brain, head injuries and broken ribs.
Despite his dark humour, Stuart is taking his training very seriously and has been cycling seven days a week for the last year, equating to over 5,000 miles and an elevation of 250,000 feet, which would be 8.5 Everests!
Inspired by a close friend
Stuart is raising money for the charity in aid of his friend Cliff Ketteridge who died of a brain tumour in 2021. He says:
“Sussex Cancer Fund helped Cliff and his wife Dawn in so many ways. It’s likely that every cancer patient in Sussex will have benefitted in some way from the charity, even if they don’t realise it. They’re a small charity but they do so much, including funding key research, equipping hospitals with vital equipment, like scanners, drip stands and modesty gowns, and offering complementary therapies to patients to support them through their cancer experience.”
Joanna Godden, Marketing & Fundraising Manager for Sussex Cancer Fund, says:
“We’re immensely proud of Stuart taking on this mammoth challenge on our behalf. The funds he’s raising will do so much to help people in our county going through cancer. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is everyone’s worse nightmare. We’re here to hold their hand and help make the journey that little less stressful wherever we can. We can only do it though with the support of our community. It’s the actions of people like Stuart which mean more local families in our region living with cancer will get the help they need.”
Speaking of the generosity of his supporters, Stuart says:
“I own a small marketing agency called Phoenix Marketing, and have been lucky enough to get some sponsors on board to help me prepare for the event. Dolphins Optometrists have kindly supplied me with a rather dashing pair of prescription glasses and SKS in Germany have provided some much-needed bike kit. Balfe’s Bikes are supporting my training too.”
“But it’s really thanks to my lovely wife Lizzi that I’m even doing the event at all. I only received a place on the oversubscribed ballot because she offered to volunteer for the week. Luckily, she’s a physiotherapist, so she may come in very helpful indeed!”
To support Stuart’s fundraising efforts, please visit:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/london-edinburgh-london-sussex-cancer-fund
