London to Paris - Travelling by Bicycle (for charity)
There are plenty of ways to arrive at your destination, commonly a flight, train or boat. Often it is just that, a means to get there and then the real trip begins. It is rare that the journey and not the destination is the real objective of the trip.
Last September, I took part in my second London to Paris cycle ride for the charity, Myeloma UK. The four day journey technically began in Greenwich, London but in reality it started months before with the training and fundraising efforts.
I was lucky that I was joining the ride with some colleagues. This was a huge support with training. In addition to the two spin classes a week on the run up to the event, a small group of us would go on regular rides from the office after work. Ideal as the preceding months were warm with bright evenings. While the training was fun, it was still an effort to keep it going but knowing we were facing a 500km ride really meant it was worthwhile. There’s not only training, there’s fundraising too!
Every participant in the ride was expected to raise a minimum of £1500 in donations for the charity. I did this through friends and family but also through events and raffles with colleagues. A few of us even had our legs waxed two weeks before the ride with our entire office present. I’m still on the fence as to whether the pain justified the £300 in extra donations!
With my new smooth legs and confidence in my fitness, I joined around 100 other riders early in Greenwich on a wet September morning. That day we cycled around 80 miles to Dover to board a ferry that night to France. The first day was tough, it’s a long day and until then I was a fair weather rider. The rain certainly doesn’t make it easier. The other riders got me through though, there’s a real mix of backgrounds and abilities and as this is a ride to raise funds for a cancer charity, there’s also some very personal and moving stories attached to many of the riders.
Myeloma UK support patients and families of patients living with Multiple Myeloma. This is a blood cancer, unfortunately with poor long term outcomes for those diagnosed with the disease. While I’ve completed physical challenges in the past that were all rewarding accomplishments, completing one for a charity surrounded by people touched by the support the organisation offer made for an unparalleled experience.
As the days went on and the miles racked up the weather improved, the landscape became more and more beautiful and new bonds and friendships bloomed. Day four saw us arrive into Paris. With our outriders and support teams, who joined us for the whole journey and closed roads (by rolling roadblock) we finally arrived at The Eiffel Tower via The Arc de Triomphe. We were greeted by a large crowd of friends and family to cheers and applause with a little champagne thrown into the mix. The sense of achievement was incredible and we raised over £250,000 for the charity.
Myeloma UK are riding from London to Paris on 26th - 29th September 2019. https://ride.myeloma.org.uk
You can watch a short video of my ride here:
Last September, I took part in my second London to Paris cycle ride for the charity, Myeloma UK. The four day journey technically began in Greenwich, London but in reality it started months before with the training and fundraising efforts.
I was lucky that I was joining the ride with some colleagues. This was a huge support with training. In addition to the two spin classes a week on the run up to the event, a small group of us would go on regular rides from the office after work. Ideal as the preceding months were warm with bright evenings. While the training was fun, it was still an effort to keep it going but knowing we were facing a 500km ride really meant it was worthwhile. There’s not only training, there’s fundraising too!
Every participant in the ride was expected to raise a minimum of £1500 in donations for the charity. I did this through friends and family but also through events and raffles with colleagues. A few of us even had our legs waxed two weeks before the ride with our entire office present. I’m still on the fence as to whether the pain justified the £300 in extra donations!
With my new smooth legs and confidence in my fitness, I joined around 100 other riders early in Greenwich on a wet September morning. That day we cycled around 80 miles to Dover to board a ferry that night to France. The first day was tough, it’s a long day and until then I was a fair weather rider. The rain certainly doesn’t make it easier. The other riders got me through though, there’s a real mix of backgrounds and abilities and as this is a ride to raise funds for a cancer charity, there’s also some very personal and moving stories attached to many of the riders.
Myeloma UK support patients and families of patients living with Multiple Myeloma. This is a blood cancer, unfortunately with poor long term outcomes for those diagnosed with the disease. While I’ve completed physical challenges in the past that were all rewarding accomplishments, completing one for a charity surrounded by people touched by the support the organisation offer made for an unparalleled experience.
As the days went on and the miles racked up the weather improved, the landscape became more and more beautiful and new bonds and friendships bloomed. Day four saw us arrive into Paris. With our outriders and support teams, who joined us for the whole journey and closed roads (by rolling roadblock) we finally arrived at The Eiffel Tower via The Arc de Triomphe. We were greeted by a large crowd of friends and family to cheers and applause with a little champagne thrown into the mix. The sense of achievement was incredible and we raised over £250,000 for the charity.
Myeloma UK are riding from London to Paris on 26th - 29th September 2019. https://ride.myeloma.org.uk
You can watch a short video of my ride here: