If you’ve arrived here there is a strong chance that you know that back story and are aware of what happened to Michael Bonney in 2013. (If not read ‘Michael's Story 2013’ below).
It is now two years since Michael’s accident, He is settled at home and is providing consultancy services on a variety of projects in the bike industry and beyond. Recently he defied everyone's doubt and proved again that he's capable of problem solving what to most would seem insurmountable odds when he travelled to from Penrith to London and back for the day for a business meeting.
But as much as he loves moving and shaking in business circles what Michael really needs is a little R&R back out in the hills of the Lake District that he loves so much. Which leads us nicely to our 2015 mission, read on and help if you can, even if it's just spreading the word.
Our 2015 mission - The Boma 7
The mission for 2015 is to empower Michael to so get back out and about in his beloved Lake District, and return to mountain biking, a sport which he has dedicated much of his life to advancing and developing. The difference this time around is that Michael will need to take it on four wheels rather than two, and won’t be able to rely on pedal power this to get up the mountain.
In this regard, the focus of our fundraising efforts this year will be to purchase a custom built, Boma 7 off-road wheelchair which will need to be engineered to accommodate Michael’s specific condition, with bespoke electronic controls and design features to safely support him up and down the mountain. Molten Rock, the company that make the Boma 7 are right behind this initiative, so let's make it happen.
Even with the help of Molten Rock, as you can imagine, this is not a cheap bit of kit – All in, the wheelchair is going to cost £12,000. And so far, so good. We currently stand at £4277 on 15 March 2015
So there you have it! Our aim this year is to raise the £12,000 pounds required to design, manufacture and purchase this fantastic bit of kit which will enable to Michael to complete the next stage on his journey.
UPDATE
There is a plan afoot to get Michael to Mountain Mayhem this year. We're all trying to convince him to take some part in it. Obviously this means we need to put the Boma 7 under him sooner rather than later.
To help make the contribution process really simple, we have set-up a donation page on the secure ‘Go Fund Me’ funding platform.
www.gofundme.com/ride4michael/
You can make any donations directly here or through the usual Ride For Michael PayPal account.
Whichever method you use, your contribution is greatly appreciated!
On March 3rd 2013, while taking part in his local Eden Valley sportive, Michael Bonney fell off his bike, just like we all do. Only this time, instead of jumping up and laughing it off, Michael suffered a life changing injury. Attended to by doctors at the scene of the accident, he was then flown by air ambulance to a specialist unit where he was diagnosed with a complete injury to the spinal cord at the C3 vertebrae. The result is that Michael is now tetraplegic - paralysed from the neck down, requiring a ventilator to breathe.
Those of you who know Michael will be aware that he is a key figure in the UK bicycle industry. He has steered the ship at Orange Mountain Bikes on a day-to-day basis for more than a decade and has championed many causes, people and ideas; both inside and outside of the cycle business. To all who know him personally or professionally, even to those who just know him by reputation, the news of his accident was devastating.
There is however, a glimmer of good news! Michael is a man with more determination and ‘gusto’ than most. In the weeks following his accident he has progressed considerably faster than any of the medical staff would have predicted. Each goal he achieves is the starting point to his next target. From the bleakest of possible outcomes on day one, Michael has achieved his goal of sitting upright and operating his motorized wheelchair months ahead of predictions.
Michael gave a great interview to Carlton Reid of the UK’s Bike Biz magazine. Far from dwelling on his situation and highlighting the risks of cycling, this is what he said:
"I don't want anybody to stop riding bikes because they think they might injure themselves. I want people to get out there and ride bikes. I've spent all of my working life getting people excited about bikes and even though spinal injuries happen to cyclists, and especially to mountain bikers, it's very rare. I was unlucky, shit happens. Get out there and ride, for me."
A year after Michael’s accident, with the help of your generous and valued contributions we made a massive difference to radically improving Michael’s quality of life. Put simply, without your help, Michael would not have been able to return home as he did in November 2013.
Since the Michael Bonney Trust/Ride For Michael Campaign was formed, your contributions have raised over £83,000 to help Michael live as much of a normal life as can be expected by someone who has experienced such a life-changing injury.
So far your efforts have enabled the following:So we want to take this opportunity to give our heartfelt thanks to those of you that contributed. No matter how large or small your contribution, you have personally played a pivotal role in helping to improve Michael’s life condition. This has provided further impetus in terms of Michael’s rehabilitation and health.
Breathing again...
Since his initial diagnosis, Michael has fought a tireless battle to regain some sort of ability to breathe for himself. In early 2014, his consultant and care team detected movement in his diaphragm. Consequently, Michael has embarked on a gradual process of ‘weaning’ himself off his ventilator and breathing for himself again. From an initial 5 minutes of unaided breathing, Michael has reached the incredible milestone of being able to breathe without the aid of a ventilator for a three hour period, three times a day.
This level of improvement is unprecedented in patients suffering the sort of injury that Michael experienced and Michael’s medical team are dumbfounded, but I guess they have never encountered a patient with the strength, resolve and bloody mindedness of Michael Bonney ;-)
Michael has taken strength from the countless well wishers, friends, colleagues and acquaintances who have provided words of encouragement, love and support and those of you that have dug deep to raise funds.
Whilst Michael will never regain use of his arms and legs again, your efforts, commitment and messages of goodwill are fuelling these improvements, and once again, we CANNOT thank you all enough.
However, there is still a long way to go and your love and ongoing fundraising efforts are appreciated as we all continue to support Michael on his journey and to provide the annual funds required to sustain his care requirements.
How can we help Michael?
So many people want to help Michael, it has been incredible. If you want to get out and Ride for Michael please get in touch via the contact form
"Every little helps". While we're working on lots of ideas here to help Michael. One simple request we've had is "Where can we make a donation".
Well now you can do it right here, using the PayPal Donate button below:
New items up on Ebay now!
Ride for Michael Auctions come up from time to time. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date. Auction Listings can be found here.
You are looking a one off, custom Ride For Michael Exposure Diablo MK7 front light. It was very kindly donated by Exposure athlete our close friend, Sam Pantling. The light itself is a standard Diablo MK7 front light, but Exposure have kindly laser etched the Ride For Michael logo onto both sides of the main light body. This is a unique item and there will not be another one made.
Kindly donated by Hotlines Europe
ENDS 13 Dec, 2015 19:34:37 GMT
You are looking at a Five Ten T-Shirt signed by 5:10 athletes and DH Legends Steve Peat and Greg Minnaar. The shirt was signed at the 2015 Fort William World Cup. Steve & Greg are the two most successful DH racers of all time. Between them they have 4 World Championship Gold Medals, 6 World Cup titles & 35 World Cup wins (18 to Greg, 17 to Steve). Both Steve & Greg have ridden for Michael with Orange Mountain Bikes. Greg on the Animal/Orange & Global Racing Teams, Steve with Royal/Orange. This is your opportunity to have something signed by two legends of the sport!
Kindly donated by Mavic
AUCTION ENDS 13 Dec, 2015 19:39:48 GMT
You are looking at a signed print of 5 Time Downhill Mountain Bike World Champion, Sam Hill. The photo was taken by Victor Lucas on Dirt Magazine's "1.04" test track in Monmouth, Wales in 2007. Victor selected 6 of his favourite photos from his extensive back catalogue & commissioned high quality prints. Each printed in signed by both the Rider and Victor, with the venue and date detailed on the back. The print measures approx 12in x 18in.
AUCTION ENDS 14 Dec, 2015 19:44:50 GMT
Ride for Michael Tee - Mens
Blue Cotton Tee printed on chest, sleeve and rear of neck. Emblazoned with the new Ride for Michael emblem.
Available to buy at our Mountain Mayhem pitch
Ride for Michael Tee - Womens
Blue Cotton women's cut Tee printed on chest, sleeve and rear of neck. Emblazoned with the new Ride for Michael emblem.
Available to buy at our Mountain Mayhem pitch
Ride for Michael events can be anything that involves being on a bike, either road or MTB. Next up the teams take on Mountain Mayhem, while Antony Penny, the head of the ride for Michael trust, is riding the Coast to Coast
Support the Ride for Michael Teams at Mountain Mayhem 2015
Saturday/Sunday June 20th/21st 2015. Gatcombe Park.
We're doing it, come and gee* us on...
Last year we managed to put not one but two teams together for Mountain Mayhem, and we had wonderful support. At the end of it we all said never again!
About a week later there were murmurs of 'next time we'll do this', 'next time we'll avoid that!'. So here we are, it's next time for the Team Ride for Michael. Once again we have had amazing support from the wonderful folks at Mountain Mayhem an we will again be running two teams
Tony Fawcett - A tour de force and previous MM winner
Mike Summers - A tour de force, has never won anything
Joe Whittaker - A tour de force, won a game of conkers
John Chennells - A tour de farce, lost a game of conkers to Joe
Simon Gallup - A keen cyclist and bass player, but first and foremost a staunch Reading FC Supporter
Chris Davies - Supports the mighty... no wait... the 'Almighty' Kidderminster Harriers. Boom!.
Geoff McComb - Misguided, supports Manchester Utd. Bless
John Beard - Strangely no beard, and no Twitter account. Rare things these days. (Subject to change)
Sam Pantling Absolute hero, taking on the full 24-hour experience solo for the first time. (But with 8 pace riders - see above).
We've sadly lost Piers, Antony*(See below) and Ben from our Mayhem squad this year. Antony could not be swayed from the 'never again' view point. Ironically though he seems to think this is a good idea...
Support Anthony Penny (& guests) on his Coast to Coast
Saturday/Sunday June 20th/21st 2015. Northern England, left to right.
That's right. Thinking that Mayhem might be a bit tough Antony has decided to ride the classic off-road Coast to Coast route in 3 days. An epic effort. He's managed to persuade some very special guests to a company him on various bits of the journey, but only he will ride the whole route.
As you can see from the picture, Antony rides around with the year of his birth emblazoned across his bike, so clearly it's going to be to tough one for the old feller, so please, please, please, help keep him going. It's very simple, the details are just below.
Help us to help Michael off-road again...
Why are we doing all this? All joking aside, it's simple. You can probably tell we're a good humoured team, but we are all about a very serious cause.
We're doing this because Michael can't any more, but with our (and your) help he can. We want to get to get Michael Bonney back out on an off-road mode of transport. You can help by visiting and hopefully helping out (even a little) right here: www.gofundme.com/ride4michael/
Also if you are coming to Mountain Mayhem this year we will have the new Tee Shirts on sale, all the proceeds of which are going towards Michael's BOMA wheelchair.
We would also like to say a massive thank you to the following people for their ongoing support and help to get us on our way to the Mountain Mayhem: Hope Technology | Continental Tyres | The Cycle Jersey
We are often asked how people make a simple donate to Ride for Michael. While our current 2015 mission is to achieve this. You can also help enormously by making a simple donation via the PayPal button right here. Please, please click the "Add special instructions to recipient" link to send any message or requests along with any donations.
Thank You!
No Fuss Orange Bikes Tour de Ben Nevis 2014
Saturday 20 September 2014
The event is about circumnavigating Ben Nevis starting from Fort William the Outdoor Capital of the UK. It is a 72km journey of discovery about our wonderful environment, about yourself and for some, we have no doubt, about your bike. It is a stage race where the aim is to gather points throughout the course and, for those at the front, it can be a very tactical race! It is an opportunity to ride through some of the most rugged and isolated areas that the Scottish Highlands have to offer. The course is undulating and varied with river and stream crossings, climbs and long descents. This is one of the country’s longest point to point events. The course has been described as MTB Endurance and a Mountain Marathon race all rolled into one. It is tough; but it is achievable.
MORE INFOThe 'Ride for Michael Cycle Sportive'
Sunday 5 October 2014
The 2014 Ride for Michael Sportive will take place place from Penrith Leisure Centre on October 5th 2014. There are 2 route options on the day, the long route is approximately 60 miles and the short route approximately 30 miles. Both routes start from Penrith Leisure Centre in Cumbria. The long route initially heads South towards Orton village before looping North to Appleby in Westmorland for the half way food stop.Following the food stop the homeward leg then weaves it's way through fantastic cycling lanes, via Dufton, Milburn and Langwathby. The route is undulating but does not climb any major hills or mountains. The short route initially follows the same roads as the long route, but splits at Morland Village, taking a shorter route to rejoin the long route at Milburn. The roads are very quiet, super scenic and well worth the trip! Full refreshments are available at the half way stop and also at the finish.
MORE INFODon't be shy. Please feel free to get in touch, we're here to help you help Ride for Michael.
Who to Speak to
The Ride for Michael web site is maintained by:
Phone: 07585 800950
Email: ride4michael@gmail.com