Jim's ride for Palace
Jim's back in the saddle for Bike From Bournemouth, and he's bringing his daughter along for the ride.
Jim King is back for one final cycling event with Palace for Life, to ride with his daughter Penny, and raise money for the youngsters in his community.
Jim was born and raised in south London, where he grew up with one brother and three sisters. His family are Palace fans, and always have been. He fondly recalled matches, semi finals, cup finals and everything in between during his 69 years of supporting the club.
Now retired, Jim has taken over as chairman of his business he set up, with his son running the day-to-day operations.
The first cycling event Jim got involved in was our Bike To Southampton, he didn’t know much about it but when he received a note from the Palace app, it seemed like an adventure he needed to take part in.
The trip to Machu Picchu he had been planning was cancelled for a third time, a repercussion from the Covid-19 Pandemic, and it was on that same day he discovered our bike ride.
Bike To Southampton was scheduled for the 30th April and he said “that was my dearly departed younger brother’s birthday, so it resonated with me.”
Despite never having cycled one hundred miles before, he was up for the challenge.
For Jim, cycling had been a means of getting around south London, cycling to school, family and friends houses. However, when he retired from playing football at 50, it took on a whole new light. He noticed how much his friends enjoyed it, as a means of staying fit and pushing themselves, so he joined in on the London to Brighton cycle in 2000. Jim finished it successfully, despite minimal training and when the Southampton cycle came around, he decided to train in earnest to achieve such a distance.
With a new road bike by his side, Jim completed the entire cycle to Southampton, saying proudly, “cycling those Surrey hills takes it’s toll, but I got all the way there without having to get off the bike.”
After that, Jim was hooked. Next was our cycling event, Palace to Villa, in freezing temperatures and then the 150 miles from Palace to Wolves the following year. Jim knew that was quite a distance to accomplish, and that there may not be much left in his legs afterwards. He told the core group of cyclists, who train together and cycle every year, that it would be his last event… or so he thought.
Enter Jim’s daughter Penny.
After he completed Wolves, she asked if he would ride with her in the next event. ‘How could I say no?’ Jim said laughing. ‘Penny was in a bad accident 2 years ago skiing so she’s doing really well to be getting on her bike rides.’
Despite living in different cities they’ve been able to complete some rides together and motivate each other to be active whether it’s walking around their cottage in Dorset or going to the gym.
Jim is excited for Penny to get to experience the type of camaraderie that the event brings. Everyone who takes part is like minded, wanting to make a change in their community and push themselves.
He recalls a moment from the most recent Bike To Wolves, where he damaged his tyre and was about to be forced to retire from the ride. Some of the cyclists were able to fix the tire wall with cardboard and Jim was able to finish. ‘It’s so nice to be in that group of people that come together through Crystal Palace and support each other and after the event there’s such a sense of achievement.’
Though the cycle from Bournemouth to Palace on April 18th and 19th is for all abilities, some may choose to donate rather than participate.
This goes a long way to helping the riders reach their fundraising goals and if you’re wondering why you should donate Jim says ‘go to the website and see the fantastic work that gets done by the Foundation in the community. I did the Marathon March this year and when I finished a little lad with Down Syndrome hung my medal around my neck and gave me a little cuddle, bless him.’
This is just one example of the young people we support in south London. So, donate to the page, and know that you’re making a difference in their lives.