Dr Simon Lovestone will be cycling from Tooting to Buckingham Palace for a knighthood to recognise his research in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Simon, who lives in Tooting and is Professor of Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, is being honoured with a knighthood on December 7th, and thought he’d cycle to the Palace to tot up miles towards a 300 mile ride to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Simon will be doing various 'special' cycles beyond his normal commute via Paddington as part of the challenge over the next 3 months. Not only will he be cycling his Brompton bike to the Palace on the 7th, but he’ll be doing so fully suited (after all, one can hardly be knighted in cycling shorts).

“I thought I had to give Tooting a shout-out in one of these rides,” says Simon, “and what better way than to start at the lido, an iconic Tooting location. I’m very happy to be receiving this knighthood – hopefully it will raise more awareness about Alzheimer’s and get people digging deep and donating money to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“I’d also like to thank Moose Cycles in Colliers Wood for giving my trusty steed a tune-up before the big day.”

You can find out more about Simon’s work and his fundraising at https://cycling-down-dementia-the-pioneer-challenge-300-miles.everydayhero.com/uk/simon-s-chasing-dementia. If you’d like to take part in the 300 mile challenge yourself, visit http://www.cyclingdowndementia.org/.