Our Marketing, Business and Commercial Director, Andrew Clark has completed the first day of his bike ride to Plymouth!
Starting at Oakwell on Monday morning, 'Clarky' arrived in Burton on Monday afternoon, completing the first 65 miles of a 300-mile journey to Plymouth ahead of our season opener at Home Park on Saturday 30 July.
Reds fan, Mark Finney, accompanied Andrew on his first day of the challenge after hearing about the task Andrew was undertaking.
Cancer is unfortunately something very close to Mark's heart currently, with his grandson, Carter Jones, recently being diagnosed with kidney cancer.
With the situation being close to home, the cause is something Mark really wanted to get involved with.
Speaking after arriving in Burton, Andrew expressed his gratitude for Mark's company on the first leg of his journey and the impact that his story has had on his outlook on the ride.
"Mark was unbelievable," he emphasised. "He was telling me about his grandson who's currently being treated by the team at Weston Park. It's really hit home how important the money that is being raised is."
The pair stopped by at the Pirelli Stadium on route, with the staff at Burton Albion greeting the lads after hearing about the ride.
"They couldn't have been more welcoming," said Andrew. "We spoke to a staff member in the club shop and she couldn't have been more helpful.
"She took us through to the pitch and allowed us to have photos which was a nice moment along the way."
Day two of the ride sees Clarky tackle 60 miles between Burton and Evesham, and he remained in good spirits despite the extreme challenge ahead.
"I'm pleasantly surprised!" he smiled. "There were some steep hills in Sheffield, certainly for a guy that has never really ridden a bike before! But, the rest of it was fine.
"I'm looking forward to the next day."
Support Andrew by donating to Weston Park here, and you can follow his progress across the week over on our Instagram page!