A CHEF inspired by his father’s memory is swapping the kitchen for the open road.
Andrew Reed, head chef at Taste* in Trinity Street, lost his father Gordon at the age of just 55 to pancreatic cancer in 2009.
His dad was a keen marathon runner and cyclist and a regular fundraiser.
Andrew has now decided to take up his father’s mantle and take part in the RideLondon-Surrey 100, a 100-mile cycle race, on Sunday, August 10 to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
He started by cycling to work and back from his home in Martinstown in January this year.
Unfortunately his bike kept letting him down so Louise and Todd Moffat from Taste* were asked if they could fund a new road bike for Andrew under the government Bike 2 Work Scheme, which sees the employee pay back the cost of the bicycle over a fixed period of time.
Louise said: “We thought this was a fantastic idea as Andrew does not drive and he would improve his health, could get to work and train for the charity ride all in one.”
Andrew collected his new bike in April and has not looked back.
He is now cycling 20 miles every other day, 50 miles once a week and cycles to work and back every day.
He has lost four stone in the process and has also reached his initial fundraising target of £1,000.
However, he has no plans of stopping there and still hopes to raise as much as possible.
Father-of-two Andrew said he hoped his efforts would make his own dad proud.
He said: “My dad was and still is my hero. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He ran marathons and raised money in the process.
“He loved sport, and he loved cycling – the Tour de France was one of his yearly highlights which he wouldn’t miss.
“One thing which still makes me sad is knowing he never saw the London Olympics.
“Our Olympics and its legacy, which includes the RideLondon-Surrey 100, would have made him proud and I’m sure me doing this would have made him very proud.”
n Anyone wishing to support Andrew in his efforts can donate via a collection box in the restaurant or online at justgiving.com/ andrew-reed5
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