03/09/2026
66 years old. A new knee. 56 miles. And he didn’t even own a bike. 🚴
This is the story of Jonathon’s dad and why he’s taking on the Sir Chris Hoy Foundation cycling challenge.
“I’m 66 years old and, until now, I’ve never seriously ridden a bike.
I’ve been married to my wife Janet for 43 years and we have two grown-up children. I retired four years ago, but I’ve always kept myself active.
Football has been a huge part of my life for more than 30 years. I’ve been involved at all levels and helped grow Renfrew Victoria Youth Football Club from just one team in 1992 to the 21 teams we have today, helping children as young as four begin their football journey.
In January 2025, after years of football and coaching had taken their toll, I underwent a full knee replacement.
Then, one Sunday morning in February 2026, Janet and I sat down with a coffee and watched Sir Chris Hoy’s documentary, ‘Cancer, Courage and Me’.
When it finished, I turned to Janet and said:
‘I’m going to do that.’
To say the documentary inspired me would be an understatement. The journey Sir Chris and his wife have been on is incredible.
So I decided to take on the 56-mile Sir Chris Hoy Foundation cycling challenge.
There was just one fairly major problem.
I didn’t own a bike.
Apart from a brief spell cycling to work many years ago, I had never seriously cycled before.
But the decision had been made. The journey had started.
Over the years, through the football club, I’ve had the privilege of supporting many local children and primary schools. This time, I wanted to do something personally for a local child living with an illness who could benefit from my support.
First, though, I needed that bike.
My youngest son Jonathon, owner of Glasgow Independent BMW & MINI Specialists, offered to sponsor me by buying a bike capable of taking on the challenge.
Once the bike arrived, the rest was down to me.
I was carrying more weight than I wanted, so I started going to the gym and gradually built up my fitness. Once I felt confident enough, I took the bike out onto the road and began preparing properly for the challenge.
So far, I’ve lost nearly three stone as I gradually build towards the big day.
During my training, I also approached local primary schools and Active Schools staff to find a child I could support.
Karen McKechnie and Gillian Stafford, Head Teacher and Assistant Head Teacher at Kirklandneuk Primary School, suggested one of their Primary 1 pupils, and I was delighted to help.
The money raised will go towards enhancing their journey through school and helping them fully enjoy their time at Kirklandneuk Primary.
The support hasn’t stopped there.
Dave Neill, owner of local independent community cycle shop Kustom Kruizers , heard about the fundraising and offered to fully service the bike and replace any parts needed completely free of charge.
Dave already works closely with local schools and organises mental health workshops in the town, so it was fantastic to have his support too.
Without Glasgow Independent BMW Mini Specialists and Kustom Kruizers, taking on something like this would have been considerably harder.
Especially for a 66-year-old who, not so long ago, didn’t even own a bike and had never changed a tyre.
Now there’s just one thing left to do.
56 miles. 🚴❤️
We’re incredibly proud to be playing a small part in this journey and helping him take on such a huge challenge for a local child.
If you’d like to support him, any donation, big or small, would be hugely appreciated. Even sharing this post could help get his story in front of more people. ❤️
Donate via GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/3cd198233
