Sharyn Rutterford

Sharyn's the one on the left. This was taken on the eve of cycling The Way Of the Roses, coast to coast from Morecambe to Bridlington. Sharyn loved singing and cycling - sometimes at the same time! but when Sharyn discovered a lump at the age of 46, that made sitting on a saddle just too uncomfortable, the singing stopped. A diagnosis rapidly followed with the awful news that Sharyn had terminal cancer. Determined to ride once more, we came across a Circe Morpheus tandem, which features a bench seat, a semi-recumbent sitting position and an independant pedalling system which enabled us to enjoy three final rides, one of which was around Derwent Water in the Lakes. Thanks go to the team at Circe, who realising the urgency, pulled out the stops to build the bike and a bespoke car rack mount in record time. Sharyn wasn't best pleased that money was to be spent on something that had a very limited purpose and so I promised to put the bike to good future use. And so, with the untimely passing of Sharyn, just a few months from diagnosis, this club was born. The Circe tandem allows me to take able bodied riders and those with certain disabilities including limited mobility and balance issues which has sparked interest at a local GP's practice. My other standard tandem has proved most popular with visually impaired cyclists with whom I have enjoyed rides up to 150 miles so far with an overnight stay. I'm not sure where this club is headed, but hope to find pilots to join me and to go on adventures. Something which Sharyn would have loved to have been a part of.