Meet One More City

In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re proud to spotlight our October partner, One More City.

“I started One More City in 2017 after being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. My first diagnosis was in 2012, and I had undergone extensive treatment, but in 2018, a seizure while cycling in London led to the discovery of a brain tumour—secondary breast cancer.

I’d always had a bike as a child, but I began taking cycling more seriously after watching the 2012 London Olympics road race pass through Richmond Park. Cycling became a crucial part of my recovery from the initial cancer treatment, and in 2017, five years post-diagnosis, four of us cycled from London to Paris in 24 hours as a celebration. We raised funds for a local breast cancer support charity.

After returning from Paris, I had a vague idea about continuing the adventure, but then came my diagnosis of secondary breast cancer. As I learned more about the disease and the urgent need for research funding, I wanted to combine my passion for cycling with raising money for the cause. That’s how the idea of a continuous cycling challenge was born—reflecting the reality for anyone living with cancer, especially secondary cancer. The challenge is never truly over: more treatments, more scans, more side effects to manage.

The following year, we cycled from Paris to Amsterdam and haven’t looked back. This year, from Venice to Rome, marked our 8th edition. So far, we’ve raised over £450,000 to fund three PhD students researching secondary breast cancer.

For me, One More City is about hope for the future—supporting the discovery of new treatments that will help patients live longer and with a better quality of life. It’s also about building a global community of like-minded individuals who push themselves on the bike for a greater cause. We’re already thinking about the 2025 route from Rome, and on the 19th of October, we are organising a series of one-day rides with Rapha around the world, all in aid of secondary breast cancer.”

- Christine O’Connel