A devoted son has completed a gruelling 1,900km cycling challenge across the Alps in memory of his father.
Setting out from Trieste in Italy, Oliver Porter took on 28 high Alpine climbs to arrive in Nice in France in seven days and 16 hours.
Oliver took on the challenge in aid of Melanoma Focus to honour his late father Bill, and has raised £16,141 so far.
Oliver Porter in the Alps on his fundraising ride
Bill, who was a former governor of Priestlands School and a trustee of St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, died in April 2023 after a melanoma that was removed a year earlier spread to his brain.
Bill, who was treated at Southampton General Hospital, died just eight weeks after his diagnosis.
Oliver said he had been thinking about taking on an Alpine ride since 2020 but decided the time was right after losing his father.
Oliver Porter arrives in Nice at the end of his fundraising ride across the Alps in aid of Melanoma Focus
He spent six months training for the challenge, which saw him spending up to 16 hours a day in the saddle and climbing more than 35,000 metres in the face of extreme heat and violent storms.
Describing cycling as an “escape” from his day-to-day routine, Oliver said: “Dad adored the mountains and we have many great family memories from times spent in the Alps.”
Oliver Porter in Passo de Gavia, Italy
Looking back at a photograph of himself tackling the Passo di Gavia in Italy, Oliver joked: “It does actually look like I was having an awesome time in all the photos – not a completely true representation.”
Bill’s widow Jane said seeing Oliver complete the challenge has been an “emotional end to a week of anxiety and pride”.
The Porter family, taken in 2022
She said the family chose Melanoma Focus as the beneficiary for the ride because of its work supporting patients, raising awareness and bringing together specialist clinicians, scientists and nurses to help advance melanoma research and clinical guidelines.
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK and is responsible for the vast majority of skin cancer deaths.
Oliver and his family are urging people to support Melanoma Focus by making a donation to justgiving.com/page/oliver-porter-1