Sam Whyte

On Sunday 10 May he completed The Fred Whitton Challenge – regarded as the UK’s toughest amateur cycling event at 107 miles long and 11,000 feet of climbing, with gradients of more than 30 per cent in places such as the infamous Hardknott Pass.

Sam took on the challenge to raise money for the firm’s Edinburgh office local charity partner, Empty Kitchens Full Hearts, which rescues surplus food and turns it into healthy meals for people living in poverty.

To make sure he was in the best possible shape he was invited to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow by the firm’s friends at Scottish Cycling who put him through his paces on the spin bike. He even took to the track with the aim of boosting his performance.

However, something Sam did not want others to know as the challenge approached was that he was nursing two ailments. In January 2026 he was hospitalised with pneumonia and, despite bouncing back, his lungs had never returned to their former functionality. 

Then, as he increased his training for The Fred, he developed nerve damage in his neck – a compressed disc at C6 meant he had reduced feeling and mobility in the thumb, index and middle fingers of his left hand.

But fuelled by Haribo and sheer determination Sam never gave up and he completed the exhaustive sportive in an impressive 9 hours 33 minutes 46 seconds. 

Reflecting on the challenge, Sam said: “This was both the best and most brutal challenge I’ve ever done. Three miles after setting off I had to get up a 1,600-foot climb – I had to stop three times within the first 25 minutes and I genuinely thought I was going to be forced to abandon the ride.

“But I’m pretty stubborn so I just ate some sweets, turned my music up, swore at myself then carried on. 

“By the time I got to the halfway point exhaustion was really starting to set in, as well as serious pain in my left arm due to my neck, but I knew I had to dig deep and keep on going.

“The work Empty Kitchens Full Hearts does is vital to supporting some of the most vulnerable people in Edinburgh so I knew I couldn’t give up.

“I’m incredibly grateful to all my friends and colleagues for all their support and to everyone who has donated I want to offer a very sincere thanks – seeing the total increase really does help dull the pain!

“I’m looking forward to not cycling up any hills for the next wee while as I’m starting to feel things a bit more now. As Indiana Jones said, ‘it’s not the years, it’s the mileage!’”

If you feel you’re able and would like to donate, Sam’s fundraiser for Empty Kitchens Full Hearts is still live.