A paramedic has challenged himself to cycle across the Pyrenees this month to raise money for the air ambulance who helped save his life.
Jack Talbot, 32, was cycling in Ulverston in July 2017 when he was knocked off his bike by a car in a hit-and-run incident.
He was in a critical condition and sustained a serious brain injury, a T7 spinal fracture, a broken shoulder blade, rib fractures and a collapsed lung.
North West Ambulance Service worked alongside a doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS to treat Jack Talbot, and he was put into a medically induced coma on scene before being airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital.
Jack remained in an induced coma for 13 days and stayed in hospital for five weeks before making a great recovery.
He’s since reunited with the doctor and paramedic from GNAAS who treated him and has carried out several cycling challenges which have raised thousands of pounds for the charity.
Notably he organised an annual cycling ‘hill climb’ event on The Struggle, near Ambleside with all the proceeds of the entry fee going to GNAAS.
The event saw riders tackle the 2.67-mile-long course from Ambleside up to the Kirkstone Pass Inn, and included a total of 1,175ft of ascent.
In 2023 the event hosted the RTTC National Hill Climb Championships for the first time and had 450 riders taking part.
In addition to large group events, Jack, who lives in Netherthong, has also set himself solo cycling challenges, and last year he cycled nearly 900 miles from Rotterdam to Nice to see the final stage of 2024’s Tour de France.
He plans to incorporate the famous bicycle race into his latest challenge, which is cycling across the Pyrenees in seven days, completely self-supported.
Jack said: “I’ve previously fundraised for GNAAS and each year with my challenges I’m trying to get better and better. I’ve held The Struggle which has been a huge success and even though I’ve now moved to Yorkshire I will still support GNAAS.”
Jack will be flying to San Sebastian on 16th July to start his cycling challenge, where he’ll be carrying all his belongings throughout the journey.
He said: “It’s going to be difficult as there’s three mountain passes every day, and I’ll be doing it for seven days.
“It’s 560 miles and 60,000ft of climbing, and I’ve planned my hotel stops on the route.
“I’m taking everything with me on my bike and on day four I’ll be passing the location of the Tour de France so hopefully I’ll get to cheer on the riders and get on TV if I can.”
Accompanying Jack is his GNAAS soft toy bear called Miles, and he plans to document the journey on his Instagram @jacksonabike
He said: “I’ll be taking Miles the bear with me, to keep me going, and hopefully I’ll raise a good amount of money for GNAAS.
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