By John Anderson I start my first blog for a good reason. I am keeping Alison company. Despite having covered 115km today into a headwind, she has decided to stay in tonight to catch up on things! She is undoubtedly an outstanding individual. She has energised, planned then organised a fantastic challenge to cycle from … Continue reading Teams, Good Causes and Outstanding Individuals
Author: The Cyclopath
Day 5
21st June 2023 Auxerre to Semur-en-Auxois Distance: 55 miles / 88km Climb: 3,299ft / 1,006m Total Distance Cycled: 481 miles / 774km There is so much I want to write about this challenge but I'm too exhausted to do justice to the wonderful people who are sharing this adventure with me, to the fantastic cycling … Continue reading Day 5
Day 4
20th June 2023 Nogent-Sur-Seine to Auxerre Distance: 57 miles / 92km Climb: 2,782ft / 848m Total Distance Cycled: 426 miles / 686km Green Day Our team leader had graded today a 'Green', the easiest in a traffic light sequence of rides based on distance, climbs and a variety of other factors. Buoyed by the confidence … Continue reading Day 4
WPC Ambassadors
Thanks to Rune Bjerke for compiling this video. https://youtu.be/t-qCmUvliqU Looking forward to attending the World Parkinson Congress in Barcelona. Only 1300km to go!
Day 2
18th June 2023 Gisors to Meaux Distance: 69 miles / 111km Climb: 2552ft / 778m Total Distance Cycled: 310 miles / 499km The Best Laid Plans With a 111km to cycle and a few significant hills ahead of us, we started the day with a plan. A 7am start with a breakfast stop planned for … Continue reading Day 2
Day 1
17th June 2023 Dieppe to Gisors Distance: 67 miles / 108km Climb: 2,375ft / 724m Total Distance Cycled: 242 miles / 389km Our ride today started with a short but steep climb out of Dieppe before joining the Avenue Verte - a cycle path along a disused railway line - which we followed for some … Continue reading Day 1
‘Brighton’ – Starting Line
16th June 2023 Worthing to Brighton Brighton to Newhaven Distance: 26 miles / 42km Climb: 512ft / 254m Total Distance Cycled: 174 miles / 281km Today saw the final part of our journey in the UK as we made our way to Brighton for our long awaited gathering with the rest of the team, many … Continue reading ‘Brighton’ – Starting Line
‘Warm Up’ – Day 3
15th June 2023 Hursley to Worthing Distance: 54 miles / 88km Climb: 1328ft / 405m Total Distance Cycled:148 miles / 239km It took some persuasion but eventually everyone agreed to meet this morning at 5.30am for a 6am start. By 9am, we'd covered 30km and had a picnic breakfast. We were joined today by Julia, … Continue reading ‘Warm Up’ – Day 3
‘Warm Up’ – Day 2
14th June 2023 Ramsbury to Hursley Distance: 41 miles / 66km Climb: 1519ft / 463m Total Distance Cycled: 94 miles / 151km Today felt too hot, too hilly, too far, took too long, too late back to the hotel. I was too wobbly and too tired to go any faster. BUT it was also through … Continue reading ‘Warm Up’ – Day 2
‘Warm Up’ – Day 1
13th June 2023 Cheltenham to Ramsbury Distance: 53 miles / 85km Climb: 2648ft / 807m Total Distance Cycled: 53 miles / 85km Setting off from home this morning felt somewhat surreal. I've cycled from home, through our town and out into the surrounding countryside hundreds of times. Never before have I set off on such … Continue reading ‘Warm Up’ – Day 1
Brighton to Barcelona 2023
The Plan...............
Buzzing
With only 10 days to go until we set off from Cheltenham and 13 days until we start our journey from Brighton, there is a palpable feel of excitement amongst the team. Our WhatsApp group chat is buzzing as we share stories about our training rides, compare notes on our respective packing lists, talk technical … Continue reading Buzzing
Clipless Pedalling
Five significant events contributed to my transformation from a novice to a serious cyclist. Learning the rules and etiquette of cycling as part of a group Changing from a hybrid bike to a road bike The use of clipless pedals The purchase of Castelli bib shorts and jersey Cycling the iconic 1,000 mile from Land's … Continue reading Clipless Pedalling
Variation on a Theme
Variety has been the theme for this week's cycle training. First the Wattbike at home, then cycling along a stretch of the East Coast of Scotland and finally a few days cycling in Madrid. The training mileage wasn't high, compared to some recent weeks but over a variety of terrains, in a variety of conditions, … Continue reading Variation on a Theme
Training with a Difference
Image Source: Walkhighlands.co.uk We're celebrating my mum's 80th birthday this week and so I'm staying in the seaside town of Monifieth where I grew up. It's lovely to spend time with family and friends but I am also aware that I can't afford to miss a week's training for our Brighton to Barcelona challenge. So, … Continue reading Training with a Difference
Endure or Enjoy?
Training for the Bike to Barcelona challenge has been ongoing throughout the winter period. Now, with only four months to go, it's time to ramp up the duration, the distances, the frequency and hopefully, the fun. Last week, in addition to indoor training, I cycled 40km through the gorgeous Gloucestershire countryside on a beautiful, near … Continue reading Endure or Enjoy?
Brighton to Barcelona
With only 138 days to go, it feels like the right time to introduce the Brighton to Barcelona team. We are a group of 20 cyclists plus our guide. We will set off on 16th June this year and cycle an average of 106km each day until reaching Barcelona on 2nd July in time to … Continue reading Brighton to Barcelona
New Year, New Challenge
Fabulous artwork by the very fabulous Jonny Acheson (https://jonnyachesonart.com) I love a challenge and thrive on the planning, preparation and training that goes with each new one. It gives me a sense of being in control - even if I'm not, challenges my brain and body - which can only be a good thing and … Continue reading New Year, New Challenge
Film ’22
Barry Norman, I most definitely am not. Nevertheless, this week I have found myself becoming a film critic. And what an exciting week it has been for those of us living with Parkinson's who love nothing more than to indulge in a spot of symptom comparison with others. Two TV programmes provided us with an … Continue reading Film ’22
It All Adds Up
Today, my blog received its 10,000th view this year. Before I get carried away, I acknowledge that this falls quite short of the 5 million views required to officially become a viral TikTok sensation. A mere 4,990,000 views short to be precise. Oh, and it took me nine months to achieve this, rather than the … Continue reading It All Adds Up
Jumping to Conclusions
I recently attended my local hospital for a test. Slightly anxious at the prospect and my medications not working their best, I sat in the waiting room, fidgety and shaky. I struck up a conversation with the only other person in the waiting room. Despite the noise of the television, the requirement to wear masks … Continue reading Jumping to Conclusions
‘Old’ Friends
Image Source: Bright/Kauffman/Crane I met a friend for coffee recently. Our conversation flowed easily, we were both relaxed in each other's company and we talked like 'old' friends. We shared a deep understanding of the many challenges we each face while living with Parkinson's before we had even started to speak. From a previous conversation, … Continue reading ‘Old’ Friends
Reflections of The Raid Alpine
Exercise, the only thing that has been shown to delay disease progression in Parkinson's, should, in theory, be easy to commit to doing on a daily basis. Yet at times it can still be difficult to find the motivation to exercise, particularly on a cold, wet, windy winter's day. In the autumn of 2019, signing … Continue reading Reflections of The Raid Alpine
Rory’s Reflections
Reflections - The Raid Alpine 2022 by Rory Chappell I was part of the support crew for a group of five cyclists as they took on The Raid Alpine. 770km long. Over 18,000m of climb. Geneva to Nice. I had never even heard of such a challenge, nor would I have thought it would be … Continue reading Rory’s Reflections
Thank You!
Time to say 'Thank You' to everyone who supported me to do the Raid Alpine challenge. A HUGE 'thank you' to John Anderson, John Wilkinson, Roland Valori and Claire Lehman for embracing this colossal challenge, all the training involved and for making it a wonderful adventure. To Callum Anderson and Rory Chapell, our fantastic support … Continue reading Thank You!
Pedalling with Parkinson’s
Feeling vaguely qualified to write about cycling with Parkinson's after the last ten days in the saddle, here are a few reflections of the impact of Parkinson's on cycling. Speed Slower than almost everyone I know. Maybe even without Parkinson's this would be the case but I believe it is mainly due to a combination … Continue reading Pedalling with Parkinson’s
Raid Alpine – Day 10
Setting off in already blistering sunshine, our last day proved one of the hottest. Perhaps a little blasé about having 'only' 834m of climb to do, by the time I was 15km into the ride, already on the wrong road, still leaning heavily on my right hand side in a very lop sided fashion with … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 10
Raid Alpine – Day 9
Distance 83km. Elevation 1700m. Our penultimate day saw us leave according to our speed. That was Claire and I setting off first for a ride that would take us 8 and 9 hours respectively. The others who are much quicker were rewarded by a slightly more leisurely breakfast and had still caught up with us … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 9
Raid Alpine – Day 8
We expected today to be our toughest challenge for many reasons. Longest rideBiggest climbSearing heatExisting saddle sores, blisters, aches and painsFatigue from the previous seven days hard cycling To add another challenge to the day, was for our support team, Callum and Rory when an erratic / maniac driver tried to overtake the van they … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 8
Raid Alpine – Day 7
Guillestre to Jausier. Distance 42km. Elevation 1154m. Our shortest day and we made the most of it. An early start saw the men powering up the hill by lunchtime whilst the girls took the same early start but a more leisurely approach. I'd like to say we did so from choice but my legs were … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 7
Challenging Times 
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