The Raid Alpine

It was Helen Matthews, the Deputy CEO of Cure Parkinson’s who introduced Claire and I in 2017. We have kept in contact since and met a few times. Helen, knowing that we both had Young Onset Parkinson’s and both worked for the NHS, thought we may have a few things to talk about. We found we had plenty of things to talk about. We were each determined to live as well as we could with this progressive, neurological condition and for each of us, exercise played a big part in this. We shared an enjoyment of cycling and a sense of adventure.

In the intervening years, we have each undertaken a number of challenges. Seperately, we have each cycled Land’s End to John O’Groats raising vital funds for Cure Parkinson’s. This year sees us coming together to tackle The Raid Alpine, a 10-day challenge. Cycling from Lake Geneva to Nice, climbing more than 19,000m over the Alps and covering over 750km, again to raise funds for Cure Parkinson’s.

Joined by John A, John W and Roland, it promises to be the toughest challenge any of us has undertaken. We will be supported throughout the challenge by my eldest son, Callum, his friend, Rory and Claire’s mum, Carole who will drive the route, transporting our luggage, providing food, drinks and no doubt many words of encouragement as we tackle this challenge already knowing their support will be invaluable.

Having been cancelled due to Covid in both 2020 and 2021, training seems to have gone on forever and it is still hard to believe all those months (years!) of training will finally be put into practice.

Whilst most of the team are putting in their last few days training on home ground, Claire has taken a more creative (and certainly more challenging) approach. She has already arrived in Lake Geneva, having cycled there from the UK! You can read her blog here.

Claire’s Blog

We are raising funds for Cure Parkinson’s, the charity that funds cutting edge Parkinson’s research and unites the world’s leading experts in the quest to find a cure for this progressive neurological condition. Many of you have requested a link to our Just Giving page which can be accessed by clicking on the image below. Thank you.

Doing the same challenge but over a gruelling six days are Will Cook, the CEO of Cure Parkinson’s and his team which includes Mike Tindall, a patron of the charity. You can find more out about their incredible team here.

Our plan is for both teams to meet up and cycle the last few miles together. In the meantime, thank you for your interest, your support and we’ll try to keep you posted……..