Wales Air Ambulance crew members will be among the riders taking part in the Cycle 100
challenge this September.
Critical Care Practitioner Mike Palmer, who joined the lifesaving service four years ago will
be on the start line on Sunday 6 September 2026.
Cyclists will make their way out of Cardiff, heading towards Bridgend, pedalling through
Port Talbot and passing through Swansea before finishing off in Llanelli.
At the finish line there will be refreshments and fun for all the family, including stalls and
vendors.
Mike, 38, who has just completed an Advanced Clinical Practice master’s degree, is looking
forward to pulling on the Charity jersey for this year’s event.
It will be the third time he has fundraised for the Charity, having competed in the inaugural
cycle challenge and the Tenby Ironman in 2024.
He said: “I have the best job in the world and love to keep active, so being able to take part in
Cycle 100 enables me to give back to the Charity.
“When we are on missions, it is difficult for us to be able to stop and talk to members of the
public, because we are so focused on the patient we are attending.
“Supporting events like this gives us the opportunity to meet with supporters and fundraisers
and be able to chat with them.
“They often cannot believe the capabilities of Wales Air Ambulance and that we take the
emergency department to the patient.”
He added: “It’s always nice to be able to tell fundraisers how the money they are raising on
the day will be spent helping protect the people of Wales, it really motivates everyone.
“When I did the first ever Cycle 100, we were just about to set off from Leckwith Stadium
when Helimeds 67 flew over, on its way back to our Dafen airbase from a mission.
“It was a bit of a treat for everyone, who was taking part. It wasn’t planned but it did spur us
all on, as we were about to head to Llanelli.”
The Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the
patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their
illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique third sector and public sector partnership. The Wales Air
Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required every year to
keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled
NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood
transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel
the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
Mike became a dad for the first time back in January, with the arrival of his daughter Amelia,
he is now trying to fit his Cycle 100 training around family life and 12-hour shifts.
He said: “I train consistently and cycle each day to get into work. My day starts at 7am and I
finish at 7pm. Usually, I do around 30 kilometres from my house to Cardiff Heliport, then a
10k route back home.
“It’s important to keep fit for the job we do. When we fly, we never know how far we might
have to walk to the patient. Our kit bags weigh around 18 kilogrammes each, so weightlifting
is important too, to ensure we maintain our physical strength.”
Mike has been working for the NHS for sixteen years, after starting out initially as a call
handler in the control room.
He said: “As a teenager I worked as a beach lifeguard at Ogmore-by-Sea that was my first
insight of having to look after the public and providing aid to someone in need.
“In University I studied Marine Biology, and after that I started my NHS career as an
Ambulance 999 call handler. I volunteered as a Community First Responder and that is what
led me down the pathway to study Paramedic Science at University.
“It took me two years to do the Higher Education degree, then I was fortunate to start work
on Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in 2020. The learning never stops, we
must keep training to maintain our skills, and I’ve just completed a Master’s degree in
Advanced Clinical Practice.”
Mike’s passion for sport was also recently recognised when he was chosen as Wales Air
Ambulance’s ambassador to receive the King’s Baton Relay in June as it makes its way
around Wales ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
He said: “I do feel that in a previous life I was a professional athlete; I am just so drawn to
sport and keeping active, I love it!
“I have that bug in me to keep on training, so it is a real privilege to collaborate with Team
Wales as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games.”
Gail Windley, Wales Air Ambulance’s Events and Partnerships Fundraiser, said: “We are so
grateful to Mike and fellow crew members who are taking part in this year’s Cycle 100 event
in September!
“They do an incredible job every day across the whole of Wales, attending over 3,500
patients each year.
“It’s wonderful that our riders will have the opportunity to cycle alongside our team in the
knowledge every pound raised will make an incredible difference.
“Each mission costs around £3,545, and so far, our teams have flown over 57,000 missions
across Wales. By taking part in our Cycle 100 event, you will be helping keep both air and
road crews on the move one pedal at a time. Diolch yn fawr iawn!”
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