Fundraiser Tackles Mountain of Hell

25th September 2012

32 years old, John Ferguson from Sheffield recently took part in the famous 'Mountain of Hell' race, which involves biking down a steep snowy mountain side in France at high speed.

Along with 700 other hardcore mountain bike riders, John started the race on a glacier at 3,400 metres above sea level and then descended down an unmarked course for an hour and a half. Jostling for space with other bikers to travel over snow, ice and rocky paths, John successfully made it over the finish line in the village of Venosc in Les Deux Alpes. The daring challenge raised over £1000 for Sheffield Hospitals Charity.When asked about the race John said: It's pretty scary and quite painful as you fall off a lot, but its great fun. I've been biking for over seven years now and there are obvious risks with the sport. A close friend came off their bike when we were riding in the Ben Nevis mountain region and damaged his back quite badly. Luckily he has fully recovered, but having witnessed the accident, I wanted to support other people who may not have been as fortunate and need treatment for a serious spinal cord injury. John works as a Senior Designer within the Marketing team at Sheffield Hallam University who have chosen to support Sheffield Hospitals Charity as their charity of the year.