Carer-member Martin Wolff recently completed a cycle ride from Croydon to Paris to raise funds for the Association. He was one of 48 on the ride for various charities with 2 ladies also riding for MND, but Martin was largely involved with 2 other riders from Vicars Cross in Chester who were supporting the British Heart Foundation.
Martin describes the trip as good fun although they had 3 days when they were rained on. The first day from Croydon to Dover was the worst when they cycled 86 of the total 308 mile journey with some people, not Martin, reduced to pushing their bikes up some of the steep hills. A lot of riders did not appreciate just how difficult the ride to Croydon was going to be, and for Martin it was made worse by getting a puncture, as the support van did not have a spare of the right size with them and had to go off to find one. Although this was one of 8 punctures that day it was the most annoying because of the lack of a spare which caused Martin a 45 minute delay and caused him to have to ride extremely hard to catch the ferry to Calais which he made with 30 minutes to spare, with the other riders cheering him in. He later learnt that the worst day for punctures the organisers had ever had was when they had 22, caused by flint in the road surfaces in Kent.
On the second day they rode from Calais to Arras with its beautiful town centre and historic buildings. Luckily they were in a hotel close to the centre so could have a relaxing evening in the town square. The next day they cycled to Compiegne and on the last day into Paris and along the Champs Elysees. Martin described this as a bit scary, mainly because of the traffic but also because one of the riders insisted on wearing a Union Flag shirt which antagonised some of the French, especially the taxi drivers! However they eventually arrived at the Eiffel Tower where a large spread was waiting for them. This caused bewilderment among tourists, including Americans and Japanese, who were amazed at what they had done and wanted photographs of them including them holding their bikes in the air above their heads!
The last night was celebratory, with Martin joined by his niece and her boyfriend who live only 20 minutes from there and after an enjoyable meal they all moved to a local pub for a few well-earned beers! There had been 2 or 3 pit stops along the way each day with lunch provided and they also had hotel accommodation at the end of the day, including in Paris before returning to London on Eurostar the next day. Martin did have a problem on Eurostar as his passport was stolen on the train but he was allowed back in the country!
Martin raised £3,400 on this ride and if anyone would like to donate they still can do so by visiting JustGiving.com.
