Pioneer Surrey surgeon set for charity motorbike marathon

A Surrey surgeon who pioneered pin-hole varicose vein operations is setting off this Sunday on a marathon charity ride across India on a 1950s motorbike.

Mark Whiteley, will be covering 2000 kilometres, riding 150 miles a day and taking in a tiger reserve, tea plantations, hot dry plains and mountains along the way.

The odyssey, from Anjuna and Goa through to Kumarokom on the south west coast of India, has already raised more than £15,000 for three charities, including the Leatherhead-based Rainbow Trust.

“I’m very excited about the trip,” says the bike-mad owner and founder of Guildford’s Whiteley Clinic. “It combines my love of classic motorcycling with the chance to raise funds for three very worthwhile charities, especially The Rainbow Trust.”

Whiteley will be riding with his friend and marketing adviser, Guildford businessman Graham Smith, director of RT Design, and they will be using 1950s model Royal Enfield Bullets, made in India from the British designs, using original patterns and tools.

They will spend 11 days on the trip, carrying just sleeping bags, mosquito nets and water. The accommodation will be Spartan with night stops under the stars, in modest jungle huts and a few ‘luxurious’ hostel dormitories.

Apart from The Rainbow Trust, the other charities to benefit are unicef and The Wildlife Conservation Society.

• To make a donation or sponsor the riders, call Graham Smith on 01483 306177 or Mark Whiteley on 01483 477180, or e-mail sponsor@india-2010.co.uk. For further information on the trip, visit: http://www.india-2010.co.uk/

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