Image: Rachael Natrajan cycling in Italy. Credit: Vincent Engel
Dr Rachael Natrajan has never been afraid of challenging herself. She has run five marathons, including this year’s London Marathon, jumped out of planes, spent four months in the South African bush, and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. But she has just returned from taking on her toughest test yet.
On 26 September, she took herself out of her comfort zone by joining One More City’s latest cycling challenge, travelling from Venice to Rome. Over four days, the team of 37 riders covered more than 400 miles, facing gruelling climbs of over 6,000m along the way. This was no small feat for Rachael who had never much liked cycling as a child and hadn’t really ridden a bike since she was 10.
“I’m not really a cyclist so this ride was the hardest challenge I’d ever taken on”
One More City is an annual cycling event that moves from city to city, starting from where the previous year’s ride finished. The fundraiser was started by Christine O'Connell in 2017 when she and four friends rode to Paris to raise money for breast cancer support services – something she had benefited from following her own diagnosis in 2013. Just months after the cycle, Christine learned her cancer had returned and had spread to her brain and her bones.
In the years since, Christine and her fellow One More City riders have completed eight rides through seven countries, raising over £400,000 for UK research into advanced, also known as secondary, breast cancer. Since 2020, One More City has been an ICR charity partner.
They have already funded a PhD student at Imperial College London, as well as two PhD students at the ICR: Hwei Minn Koo, who is based in Dr Rachael Natrajan’s lab, and Shaun Tan, who has recently started in Professor Vicky Sanz-Moreno’s lab.The aim is to create and develop new treatment options for secondary breast cancer patients by bringing together the best resources and innovative research methods of two of the UK’s leading cancer research centres.
The ethos of One More City is that the journey is never over – there are always more miles to do, more climbs to conquer and more challenges to face. This is akin to the reality of anyone living with cancer, especially secondary cancer, for whom the challenge is never over. There are always more treatments to endure, more scans to face, more side effects to manage.
Christine and her team of riders are now hoping to raise £250,000 over the next three years to fully fund a clinical research fellow, where a medical graduate gets the opportunity to train and contribute to research at the ICR.
And having seen the benefit of their fundraising first-hand, Rachael Natrajan was determined to do her bit to help:
“The work that we do at the ICR is so important. But our research is mostly funded by charity. One More City has already sponsored a student in my lab. Now, as I am collaborating more closely with Vicky’s lab, I can also see the benefit of the second student they have funded. I felt I wanted to give something back and in joining the team, I could also show them exactly where the money they raise is going.”
“I lost my mum to secondary breast cancer – it was extremely hard to watch her die”
In 2012, Dr Natrajan was awarded a career development fellowship to start her own lab within the Division of Breast Cancer Research at the ICR, but her motivation to help develop better treatment options for secondary breast cancer patients was not just professional. It is very personal too.
“When I was doing my finals at university, I lost my mum to secondary breast cancer. It was horrific watching her go through it. Her cancer came back very aggressively just 18 months after her initial diagnosis and at the time, chemotherapy was the only treatment open to her for triple negative breast cancer. My mum did not want to go through that again. Her prognosis was poor either way and she wanted a quality of life, but it was extremely hard to watch her die.”
Her mum’s passing spurred Rachael on to pursue a career in cancer research and it was that, along with a bit of persuasion from Christine, that proved the driving force behind her agreeing to take part in this cycle ride.
“Christine is incredibly inspiring, and we’ve attended many talks together. A little while ago, at one such talk and after a couple of glasses of wine, she managed to persuade me to give the One More City ride a go. These rides are hardcore. I was extremely nervous about the physical and mental challenge. I knew cycling 135 miles on the first day alone would be tough. But there was massive support amongst the team and the camaraderie was hugely motivating.”
“The ride was hard, but thinking about what you are raising money for keeps you going”
Images: One More City team, Rachael eating pizza. Credit: Vincent Engel
The team set off on 26 September. The weather was good – dry and hot. But if four days in Italy sound remotely glamorous, the truth was very different! And with only three months of training behind her, it was anything but a breeze for Rachael.
“The first day was particularly tough. Not only was it the longest day in terms of the miles covered, but it was very flat, and we were riding in extremely strong headwinds. This was where riding 'on the wheel' of the rider in front was hugely beneficial to get the drafting effect and conserve energy. The other riders were more experienced than me and many had done Christine’s rides before. There was a lot of trust involved, but the camaraderie was amazing and really kept me going.
“Once we started heading into the mountains, the scenery was beautiful and this was really motivating too. It was so picturesque! The ascent to San Marino on day two was the hardest climb, but riding eight hours a day takes its toll and tired legs on the last two days made them feel harder!”
With Rachael burning around 3,000 calories a day, at times she felt as if she was taking part in an eating contest rather than a cycle ride! To keep energy levels up and stave off exhaustion, she had to consume around 4,000 calories a day. This meant eating 40g of carbs an hour when riding. Luckily, Rachael had packed porridge sachets from home, along with a pot of peanut butter and Marmite for sandwiches along the way!
“Christine was a phenomenal inspiration – she truly spurred me on”
Images: Rachael with Christine O'Connell. Credit: Vincent Engel
But when the going got tough, her legs were aching and she was saddle sore, Rachael was encouraged by those around her.
“Christine was a phenomenal inspiration. During those transient moments of pain where I momentarily felt like giving up, I reminded myself what she has been through and what she is still going through – and that spurred me on. She is truly remarkable.
“Thinking about what you’re raising money for and having such a fantastic team of riders around you is also hugely motivating. They are all riding for the same reason, a community dedicated to the cause, and I was glad to be able to talk them through the science and put their fundraising into context. They were all enthused by the science and what the ICR is doing.”
Despite a minor fall on a gravelly section of the course on day one, Rachael thankfully made it to the finish in one piece, along with the rest of the group. And her resilience was recognised by the other riders who presented her with a special polka dot hat at the team’s final dinner, crowning her ‘Queen of The Mountains’. Still on a high from her achievement, she is now looking ahead to the next ride.
“It was hard and I can’t quite believe I’ve done it! I was so worried about it beforehand – I didn’t want to let myself or anyone else down. But I have been on a huge high since finishing and am so pleased I did it. I think my mum would have been very impressed with me – and also a bit jealous! I definitely want to keep cycling – although it’s much harder now with the cold and dark winter drawing in. I would definitely consider doing the next One More City ride – although I may have to do a bit more training next time!”
The team had amazing support, not least from the UK’s most successful female Olympian, Team GB cyclist Dame Laura Kenny who sent an Instagram message of encouragement, and so far their ride has raised over £77,000.
Rachael may now be firmly back in her lab, but there is still time to show her and the rest of the team your support – please visit One More City – JustGiving.