Knaresborough employee on 550-mile fundraising challenge from Netherlands after friend’s death

Chris Rodgers, sales manager at pest control company Pelsis, is cycling 550 miles from the firm's Netherlands office to the company HQ in Knaresboroughto raise funds in memory of his former colleague Derek Hurst.

Chris Rodgers, sales manager pest control specialist Pelsis Group, is undertaking the challenge to help raise funds for research into Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which his friend Derek Hurst died of in 2019, aged 49.

The 13-day Tour de Derek has seen Chris cycle from Pelsis’s office in Barneveld, the Netherlands, via its office in Bornem, Belgium, all the way to the company’s HQ in Knaresborough.

All funds raised will be split equally between the Cure CJD Campaign and St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington, where Derek was cared for following his diagnosis.

CDJ is a terminal degenerative brain disorder, for which there is currently no cure. Derek was diagnosed with the disease in the summer of 2019, before dying that September.

The 550-mile Tour de Derek comprises 11 legs in total, taking in the cities and towns of Den Bosch, Antwerp, Gent, and Ypres in Belgium and Calais in France. Chris will also cycle through Rochester, Duxford, Peterborough, Lincoln and Doncaster, before finally reaching Knaresborough.

Chris said: “Not only was Derek my colleague, but he was also my mentor and my friend. To be able to undertake this sporting challenge in memory of him is truly an honour.

“I’m already extremely grateful for all the support and donations I’ve received from the Pelsis team, and look forward to seeing how much we can raise for these two worthy causes.”

To donate to the Tour de Derek, visit www.gofundme.com/f/raising-funds-in-memory-of-derek-hurst.